Conserving the Peace: Cooperative Approaches to Conservation, Livelihoods Generation and Disarmament

The document details the outcomes of a workshop stream titled 'Supporting Protected Areas in Times of Violent Conflict' at the 2003 World Parks Congress. It argues that peace is a fundamental precondition for conservation and that protected areas can either exacerbate or help mitigate conflict depending on their management. Key recommendations include establishing an international crisis response team, recognizing the neutrality of field staff, and integrating conservation ethics into military and humanitarian operations. The report emphasizes the need for proactive community engagement, continued donor support during crises, and the use of specialized monitoring tools like Peace and Conflict Impact Assessments (PCIA) to manage the dynamic relationship between biodiversity conservation and violent conflict.

• Peace is considered a fundamental requirement for biodiversity conservation, and while protected areas can be targets or sources of funding for insurgencies, they can also foster peaceful cooperation across borders if managed with peace as an explicit goal.
• Effective conservation during conflict requires proactive local community involvement through decision-making, capacity building, and the provision of alternative livelihoods to prevent the exploitation of protected areas during crises.
• The workshop identified several critical operational needs for field staff in conflict zones, including the use of codes of conduct for dealing with armed groups, maintaining a management presence on the ground, and securing flexible donor support.
• To improve the safety and effectiveness of conservationists, the report recommends seeking international recognition of the 'neutrality' of protected areas staff, similar to the status of International Commission for the Red Cross workers.
• There is a call to integrate conservation ethics into external security and aid operations, specifically within military and peacekeeping training and humanitarian relief efforts to minimize environmental damage.
• The report advocates for the adoption of systematic monitoring tools to evaluate the bidirectional impact of conflict and conservation, specifically mentioning Social Impact Assessment, Peace and Conflict Impact Assessment (PCIA), and Law Enforcement Monitoring (LEM).
• Post-conflict phases are identified as critical windows for both potential positive change and rapid environmental degradation, necessitating prompt coordinated action to rehabilitate protected areas and ensure development plans respect conservation integrity.
• To address the root causes of conflict that impact conservation, the report suggests promoting human rights, improved governance, and the use of sustainable commodity certifications, such as those from the Forest Stewardship Council, to reduce the trafficking of valuable resources used to finance conflicts.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2003). Conserving the Peace: Cooperative Approaches to Conservation, Livelihoods Generation and Disarmament. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/natres_durban_report_wpc.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Conserving the Peace: Cooperative Approaches to Conservation, Livelihoods Generation and Disarmament. 2003. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/natres_durban_report_wpc.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Conserving the Peace: Cooperative Approaches to Conservation, Livelihoods Generation and Disarmament |date=1 December 2003 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/natres_durban_report_wpc.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2003conserving, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Conserving the Peace: Cooperative Approaches to Conservation, Livelihoods Generation and Disarmament}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2003}, month = dec, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/natres_durban_report_wpc.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }