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NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE PEACE PROCESS IN COLOMBIA (1999-2002)

By Cristina Hoyos

This article summarizes a case study about natural resource management in Colombia. The country has been in a civil war for more than 40 years. Conflicts relating to the management of natural resources are rooted in economic, territorial, social and political problems. Economic problems include population growth, poverty, distribution of land, and state politics. Difficult social conditions are the result of migration, poverty, environmental degradation and violence, such as armed conflicts between left-wing guerrillas and right- wing paramilitary groups. To escape conflict, the population migrates into regions where land property rights are not defined or they settle in national parks. In these isolated regions the state is generally weak while other actors, such as illegal drugtraffickers, are strong.

The research was conducted in the Parque National Natural Tinigua, or PNNT, over the years 2001 to 2004. This national park is located in the Departamento Meta in Colombia and is the only biological corridor that connects the Andes with the Amazon- Orinoco region. The World Bank classified it as an ecological region of strategic importance and accorded it the highest priority for protection because of the outstanding biological diversity. The park is threatened by misleading settlement policies, violent conflicts, cattle-ranching and illicit crop production.

PNNT is situated in the formerly demilitarized zone that was established as a result of the 1999–2002 peace process between FARC-EP (Fuerzas Armadas de Colombia- Ejército Popular) and the Colombian Government. After three years of negotiations, the peace process broke down on February 20th, 2002, and part of the research area was hit during the ensuing bombardment of the demilitarized zone.

The objective of the research was to analyse the use of natural resources in the conflict area of the PNNT in the context of the peace process (1999-2002), in economical, political and social aspects. An extended study of the literature on environmental conflict research failed to identify an adequate, single methodology that could help analyse the conflict in the PNNT. It was thus necessary to look into other disciplines that deal with conflict analysis. The field of international cooperation offered a range of methodologies and the following tools were selected as the most promising: Timeline, Conflict Mapping (both adapted by Fisher, et al., 2000), and Conflict Tree. These research tools were applied at three different stages: before, during and after the peace process. The analysis, conducted by two different groups of the national park administration, the Unidad Administrativa Especial del Sistema de Parques Nacionales, was realised during a two-day workshop in the capital Bogotá because implementation in the field was deemed too risky for the researchers.

Results With a few adaptations, all three tools offered complementary perspectives on the PNNT conflict. With the adaptation to this specific set of problems, however, some shortcomings emerged. Therefore, two new tools were introduced:

1. Timeline Impact Assessment, or TIA, helped to analyze the chronology of the conflict, the multitude of the parties involved, the development of the relevant activities, the impact of the use of natural resources and identify the conflicts that rose as a result.
2. Conflict Mapping and Conflict Relation Intensity Mapping Evaluation, or CRIME, helped to describe the parties involved in the conflict, their relationships, and the intensity of these relationships in the different stages of the conflict. In turn, this helped to comprehend the quantitative, and to some degree the qualitative, characteristics of the conflict.
3. The Conflict Tree helped to unravel the cause of the conflict over the management of natural resources, which helped to define the core problem, and its effects. This instrument is used internationally in different research areas.

The resulting conflict analysis methodology and the selected tools combined can help local, national, and international institutions to better understand the parties involved in conflicts over the use of natural resources and the nature of their problems. In view of the threat that natural resources and biodiversity are exposed to as a result of violent conflict or war, it is necessary to develop close cooperation between local scientific institutions and international organisations and, together, develop efficient and long-lasting conflict resolution strategies.

Cristina Hoyos
International Consultant
Auf dem Meere 5
21335 Lüneburg
Germany

Phone: + 49 4131 36266
E-mail: Cristina.Hoyos@t-online.de

Reference
Fisher, S. Ardi, D., Ludin, J., Smith, R.,Williams, S., Williams, S. (2000): Working with Conflict. Skills and Strategies for Action.London, United Kingdom.

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