“Nature in a Globalised World” – An IUCN report on Conflict and Conservation

What is the News?

International Union for Conservation of Nature(IUCN) has released a report titled “Nature in a Globalised World: Conflict and Conservation”.

 About the Nature in a Globalised World Report:

• The report focuses on complex relationships between nature and the armed conflict.
• Objective: The objective is to bring nature conservation into the mainstream of economic and political decision-making.

Key Findings of the Nature in a Globalised World Report:

• Armed Conflicts have numerous negative effects on nature. These include:
  • Direct killing of wildlife for food or trade
  • Degradation of ecosystems as both a tactic and a consequence of war
  • Disruption of conservation, e.g. through attacks on protected area staff and other conservationists.
• Greater conflict risk: The report gave examples about the impact on a range of species from conflicts:
  • During the 1994 war in Rwanda, 90% of the large mammals in the Akagera National Park were killed for food or trade.
  • The Vietnam War almost certainly accelerated the extinction of the Javan rhinoceros.
• Further, the report has found that armed conflicts are particularly prevalent in some of the more biodiverse regions of the world.
• Moreover, civil unrest and military exercises pose a risk to more than 200 Endangered species. This includes even the iconic species such as the Critically Endangered Eastern gorilla.
• However, conflicts were less frequent within the boundaries of the natural reserves and other protected areas.

 Recommendations of the Nature in a Globalised World:

The report has recommended a series of suggestions such as:

• Strengthening the natural resource governance through measures like inclusive decision-making
• Improving accountability and transparency
• Recognising the rights of indigenous peoples and of women
• Establishment of explicit protections for protected area staff, environmental defenders and other conservationists and
• Sanctions against those who commit environmental war crimes.

Source: Livemint

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