Conserving the Peace: Resources, Livelihoods and Security

The report examines how environmental stress, resource scarcity, and inequitable access to natural resources contribute to political instability and violent conflict across various global contexts. Through case studies in Pakistan, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, and the North Atlantic, it demonstrates that environmental mismanagement often amplifies existing social and political tensions. The authors argue that investing in sustainable resource management and equitable livelihoods can offset the need for peacekeeping and humanitarian relief by addressing the root causes of insecurity. The document also explores the impact of armed conflict on biodiversity and provides strategic recommendations for conservationists to operate effectively before, during, and after periods of violence.

• Environmental mismanagement and resource scarcity, either alone or combined with other forces, can destabilize communities to the point of violence and conflict.
• In northern Pakistan, the combination of rapid population growth, Afghan refugee influxes, and colonial-era resource exploitation has created severe scarcity that amplifies endemic civil violence.
• Indonesia's forest crisis is a national security concern driven by corrupt policies under the Suharto regime, which marginalized local communities and fostered illegal logging and violent communal clashes.
• In Nicaragua's Bosawas Biosphere Reserve, armed insurgencies were fueled by resource abundance rather than scarcity, as groups fought to control valuable land, timber, and minerals.
• The 1994 genocide in Rwanda was preceded by a cycle of environmental scarcity, where high population pressure and inequitable land distribution created a 'vicious cycle of poverty' that radical politicians later exploited through ethnic mobilization.
• In Zimbabwe's Matabeleland North, colonial land policies created gross inequities that forced indigenous people into communal areas, leading to overexploitation of resources and fueling the liberation struggle.
• The 'Turbot War' between Canada and Spain illustrates 'environmental nationalism,' where a conflict over a resource of marginal economic importance was driven by national pride and the desire to appear environmentally responsible.
• Armed conflict generally harms biodiversity through habitat destruction, pollution, and over-exploitation for survival or profit, though it can occasionally create incidental 'no-go' zones that protect wildlife.
• Environmental degradation in Central America, specifically deforestation and land degradation, significantly increased the humanitarian and economic losses caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998.
• Conservationists can mitigate conflict by using Peace and Conflict Impact Assessments (PCIA) and by promoting the management of 'mitigating ecosystems' like wetlands and mangroves that buffer communities from disasters.

APA

Halle, R. M. M., & Switzer, J. (2002). Conserving the Peace: Resources, Livelihoods and Security. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/envsec_conserving_peace.pdf

Chicago

Halle, Richard Matthew Mark, and Jason Switzer. Conserving the Peace: Resources, Livelihoods and Security. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2002. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/envsec_conserving_peace.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Halle |first1=Richard Matthew Mark |last2=Switzer |first2=Jason |title=Conserving the Peace: Resources, Livelihoods and Security |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2002 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/envsec_conserving_peace.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{halle2002conserving, author = {Halle, Richard Matthew Mark and Switzer, Jason}, title = {{Conserving the Peace: Resources, Livelihoods and Security}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2002}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/envsec_conserving_peace.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }