a forum for action
   home | forest conflict links | agenda | presentations and reports | participants | institutions | contact
line decor


Online publications

CONSERVING THE PEACE: RESOURCES, LIVELIHOODS AND SECURITY
 Richard Matthew, Mark Halle and Jason Switzer (eds.) (2002)

In 2000, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and the International Institute for Sustainable Development convened an international Task Force of leading experts to assess the linkages between environment and security, and to begin converting what has largely been an academic debate into tools for conservation planning. The Task Force subsequently commissioned a number of case studies from around the world, which illustrate the linkages between environment and security. The cases and their recommendations were published in 2002 as a book, Conserving the Peace, launched at the World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.

Winnipeg: IISD and IUCN. ISBN: 1-895536-62-6

Download at: http://www.iisd.org/pdf/2002/envsec_conserving_peace.pdf

 

BREAKING THE CONFLICT TRAP
 Paul Collier, Lani Elliot, Håvard Hegre, Anke Hoeffer, Marta Reynal-Querol and Nicholas Sambanis (2003)

This policy research report prepared for the World Bank has among its main objectives to alert the international community about the negative consequences that civil wars have on development.

The first part of the book addresses such consequences, at the national scale, on the neighboring countries, and at the global scale. The second part focuses more closely on the factors determining the incidence of violent conflicts, the links between conflicts and development –or the lack of it-, and circumstances making countries prone to fall into “conflict traps”. The third and last part calls for national and international intervention and suggests some policies that might be effective in reducing conflict incidence worldwide.

Many of the articles referred to in this report can be found on the project’s website http://econ.worldbank.org/programs/conflict.
The electronic version of this book can be downloaded from the World Bank website

 

NATURAL RESOURCES AND VIOLENT CONFLICTS: OPTIONS AND ACTIONS
Ian Bannon and Paul Collier (eds.) (2003)

Natural Resources and Violent Conflicts is the product of the research on the links between natural resources and conflict undertaken by the World Bank’s Conflict Prevention and Reconstruction Unit and the Development Research Group. This collection of articles holds that even though natural resources are never the only cause of conflict, natural resource exploitation has historically played an important role in triggering, prolonging or fueling conflict.

The book discusses practical approaches and policies that can be adopted by international community to assist developing countries in better managing their resources. Authors focus mainly on the mechanisms for making sure that revenues from natural resource exploitation do not start or sustain any violent conflict.

The electronic version of this book can be downloaded from the World Bank website

 

THE TRAMPLED GRASS: MITIGATING THE IMPACTS OF ARMED CONFLICT ON THE ENVIRONMENT
J. Shambaugh, J. Oglethorpe, and R. Ham (with contributions from S. Tognetti) (2001)

Armed conflicts create complex challenges for conservation in many areas of Sub- Saharan Africa.

This publication is based on the results of the Biodiversity Support Programme’s Armed Conflict and the Environment (ACE) Project, which reviewed negative impacts of armed conflict on the environment in Africa and analysed a wide range of practical experiences in reducing these impacts before, during, and after conflict. Recommendations in this guide aim to help natural resource managers, conservation practitioners, policy makers, and donors better prepare for conflicts before they occur, cope with them while they are occurring, and recover from them after they are over.

The publication can be downloaded from the BSP’s website:
http://www.worldwildlife.org/bsp/publications/africa/139/titlepage.htm

 

GLOBAL WITNESS REPORTS ON LINKS BETWEEN NATURAL RESOURCE EXPLOITATION AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Global Witness is a non-governmental organisation committed to exposing the link between natural resource exploitation and human right abuses, operating in areas where environmentally destructive trade is fuelling conflict and abuse. Global Witness identifies and documents the mechanisms through which natural resources are exploited and removed from countries such as Angola, Cambodia, Liberia and Democratic Republic of Congo. These reports are presented to policy makers.

Recent reports

 

CONTROLLING IMPORTS OF ILLEGAL TIMBER – OPTIONS FOR EUROPE (SUMMARY)
 D. Brack, C. Marijnissen and S. Ozinga (2002)

This briefing presents a series of recommendations for the institutions of the European Union (EU), and for the governments of the EU member states, on means to control the import of illegally sourced timber and wood products into the territory of the EU. It is a summary of a larger report, jointly prepared by FERN and the Sustainable Development Programme of the Royal Institute of International Affairs.

Can be downloaded directly from: http://www.fern.org/pubs/reports/options2.pdf

 

CONFLICT TIMBER: DIMENSIONS OF THE PROBLEM IN ASIA AND AFRICA
J. Thomson and R. Kanaan (2004)

As a response to the growing recognition of the connection between forests, logging and conflict, this report provides a comprehensive examination of the economic, ecological, political, social and security dimensions of conflict timber in both Asia and Africa.

The results of the study indicate that solutions are required that address the major underlying cause of conflict timber – poor governance. Furthermore, there is no “silver bullet” capable of successfully addressing all incidents of conflict timber. To decrease the incidence, longevity or severity of conflict timber incidents successfully, well-reasoned and crosscutting programmatic responses need to be developed on a case-by-case basis.

The study was commissioned by USAID/ DCHA/OTI and USAID/ANE/TS to ARD Inc.

Copies of the report are available at the site:
http://www.ard-biofor.com/documents/Volume%201%20-%20Synthesis%20Report.pdf

 

OECD ISSUES BRIEF: FORESTS AND VIOLENT CONFLICT
OECD Development Assistance Committee

This issues brief outlines the inter-relationships among forests and violent conflict, and development activities that can prevent and mitigate such conflicts in forest contexts. Building on the Overview of the Links between the Environment, Conflict and Peace, it complements other briefs on water, land and valuable minerals. Briefs on other topics are available at http://www.oecd.org/dac/conflict/issuesbriefs .

This issues brief can be downloaded from:
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/26/47/35785528.pdf

 

FORESTS AND CONFLICT: A TOOLKIT FOR PROGRAMMING
USAID Office of Conflict Management and Mitigation

This toolkit is part of a series that explores how development assistance can address key risk factors associated with conflict. It offers: 1) a discussion of the relationship between forests and conflict; 2) lessons learned in developing programs to deal with forest and conflict related issues; 3) program options; 4) a survey instrument related to forests and conflict; and 5) relevant USAID mechanisms and donors.

The toolkit can be downloaded from:
http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/cross-cutting_programs/conflict/publications/docs/ CMM_Forests_and_Conflict_2005.pdf

 

NATURAL RESOURCE CONFLICT MANAGEMENT CASE STUDIES: AN ANALYSIS OF POWER, PARTICIPATION AND PROTECTED AREAS
Castro, A. P., and E. Nielsen, (2003), Rome, FAO

This FOA publication offers eleven extensive case studies and an overview by the editors.

The analysis in each case will help to advance the understanding of how conflict management processes and interventions can be strengthened and improved to support livelihood development.

The case studies can be downloaded from:
http://www.fao.org/documents/show_cdr.asp? url_file=/DOCREP/005/Y4503E/Y4503E00.HTM

 

NEGOTIATION AND MEDIATION TECHNIQUES FOR NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
 Antonia Engel, Benedikt Korf, (2005), Rome, FAO

The training material Negotiation and Mediation Techniques for Natural Resource Management is about how to help people to deal with conflicts that are undermining or disrupting natural resource management, impeding development, and causing outbreaks of violence. It looks at how negotiation and consensus building can be used to manage conflict and build collaboration, and provides practical, step-by-step guidance on how to establish and manage a process of consensual negotiations involving multiple stakeholders. The guide is intended for practitioners working on participatory/collaborative natural resource management and rural livelihoods projects.

Training material is available in English, French and Spanish and can be downloaded from:
http://www.fao.org/documents/show_cdr.asp?url_file=/docrep/008/a0032e/a0032e00.htm

 

PROMOTING PEACE AND SECURITY THROUGH DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
 Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (2005)

This document defines Sida’s approach to peace and security in development co-operation and provides guidance for operational implementation.

See: http://www.sida.se/shared/jsp/download.jsp?f=SIDA4889sv_Promoting_Peace.pdf&a=3585

 

International Crisis Group

Fiona Hall MEP

USAID
United States Agency for International Development

DFID
UK Department for International Development

Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs

CIFOR
Centre for International Forestry Research

ARD Inc.
Associates in Rural Development

ETFRN
European Tropical Forest Research Network

Forest Conflicts Links