| European
Tropical Forest Research Network |
By Paul Romeijn
The subject of ‘Forests and Violent Conflict’ seems here to stay. It is all too easy to underestimate the number of people affected. Areas may be remote and communications poor. Increasingly, the theme draws attention and research. Some of which may be found through the following websites.
The Biodiversity Support Program (BSP) operated from 1989-2001 as a consortium of World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy and World Resources Institute and was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). BSP’s documentation includes full text articles on forests and conflicts. These can be searched at: http://www.worldwildlife.org/bsp/publications/index.html.
The East Asia and Pacific Environmental Initiative (EAPEI) aims to improve environmental conditions and quality of life by increasing environmental capacity and knowledge in the East Asia and Pacific region. The EAPEI works to complement US government investment in the region by supporting transboundary, cross-border and regional activities and institutions and by supporting activities in USAID non-presence countries. EAPEI provides a useful links page about conflict and the environment on http://eapei.home.att.net/Links/conflictlinks.htm.
The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, USCRI, maintains and updates the World Refugee Survey reports on conditions for refugees and internally displaced persons in 120 countries, see: http://www.refugees.org/worldmap.aspx?subm=19&area=Investigate.
Global Witness work highlights the link between exploitation of natural resources and human rights abuses, particularly for timber, diamonds and oil. Full text reports are available at http://www.globalwitness.org/reports/.
ARD and USAID/ANE/TS distribute a number of reports and summary papers on the subject of conflict over forest resources, particularly in Asia. A list-serve notifies of upcoming documents, see: http://www.ard-biofor.com/conflicttimber.html.
FAO’s forestry department and FTPP developed training materials, methods and tools to improve the management of the conflicts that arise over the use of natural resources. They include stakeholder and conflict analysis, negotiation and mediation exercises, field interventions and case studies. See: http://www.fao.org/forestry/foris/webview/forestry2/index.jsp?siteId=1760&sitetreeId=8307&langId=1&geoId=0.
The Environmental Security Database contains information on books, journal articles, papers, and newspaper clippings relating to links between environmental stress and violent conflict in developing countries. You can access the database at http://www.library.utoronto.ca/pcs/database/libintro.htm. Also see the Peace & Conflict Studies Program at the University of Toronto at: http://www.library.utoronto.ca/pcs/catalog.htm.
The Marena project, “Reconstruction of natural resource management institutions in post-conflict countries”, was funded by the UK Department for International development (DFID). All briefings and working papers from this project can be downloaded free of charge at: http://www.geog.sussex.ac.uk/research/development/marena/.