Promoting Conflict Sensitivity in Transboundary Protected Areas

This research paper examines the relationship between protected areas (PAs) and conflict, arguing that conservation interventions are inherently political and can either exacerbate or mitigate tensions. The authors propose the adoption of Peace and Conflict Impact Assessments (PCIAs)—tools used in the humanitarian and development sectors—to ensure that Transboundary Protected Areas (TBPAs) contribute to peacebuilding and adhere to 'do no harm' principles, particularly in conflict-prone regions.

• Protected areas can act as catalysts for conflict, especially in economically disadvantaged regions where they restrict access to livelihood resources or cause forced relocation, which can undermine cultural identities and economic security.
• PAs can sustain military conflicts by providing strategic refuges, food, and medicine for guerrilla groups, and by providing natural resources (such as ivory, timber, oil, and minerals) that are plundered to finance military operations.
• Post-conflict settings create new risks for PAs as refugees, internally displaced people, and demobilized troops move into these areas for land and resources, potentially reigniting tensions with host communities.
• Transboundary Protected Areas (TBPAs) introduce specific complexities, including the role of international borders as sites of inequity and the potential for top-down decision-making to marginalize local border communities.
• Peace and Conflict Impact Assessments (PCIAs) are planning and management tools designed to evaluate whether an intervention increases or diminishes prospects for long-term peace, aiming to reduce unintended negative consequences and optimize peacebuilding opportunities.
• PCIAs are most appropriate for areas with latent or manifest conflict, specifically where territory or resource use is disputed, socio-economic gaps are increasing, or governance structures have broken down.
• The authors argue that PCIAs are highly relevant to TBPAs because many are established in conflict-prone regions (such as Latin America, South and Southeast Asia, and Southern, Eastern and Central Africa) and often claim peacebuilding objectives that require systematic evaluation.

APA

Hammill, A., & Besançon, C. (2010). Promoting Conflict Sensitivity in Transboundary Protected Areas. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/security_promoting.pdf

Chicago

Hammill, Anne, and Charles Besançon. Promoting Conflict Sensitivity in Transboundary Protected Areas. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2010. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/security_promoting.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hammill |first1=Anne |last2=Besançon |first2=Charles |title=Promoting Conflict Sensitivity in Transboundary Protected Areas |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2010 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/security_promoting.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hammill2010promoting, author = {Hammill, Anne and Besançon, Charles}, title = {{Promoting Conflict Sensitivity in Transboundary Protected Areas}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2010}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/security_promoting.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }