Ecological resources have factored into many national conflicts--either through competition for scarce resources or greed to exploit plentiful ones. But some scholars see another role for the environment: fostering peace. Resources managed jointly can quell regional hostilities, or better, keep lines of communication open so that a conflict never starts, these scholars say, and it seems the idea is gaining traction.
Water in the Middle East
Infrequent precipitation and depleted aquifers in Israel jeopardize the livelihoods of the many farmers that live along the Jordan River and the Dead Sea. Israelis and Palestinians share this limited water supply, in addition to Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan, which use water from the Jordan River and its tributaries. The contentious issue of water rights has become wrapped into broader political conflict, and though addressing it may be relatively easy, the topic has taken a backseat in diplomacy between Israelis and Palestinians.
However, some believe that water is already becoming a tool for peace in the region. Since last year, Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority have been jointly studying the feasibility of transferring water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea. Though the "Red-Dead" prospect has some large uncertainties, the collaboration isn't just about science, but also personal connection between the parties. The Water Wisdom conference in April of this year had similar goals, bringing together Israeli and Palestinian engineers, economists, and political academics. And the Israeli and Jordanian governments themselves are promoting joint water projects as a way of cementing peace between their people. Rather than contributing to conflict, a water deal may pave the way for broader peace agreements between the nations.
Border Land of Ecuador and Peru
The territorial dispute between these South American countries had lasted for decades before their 1998 peace agreement. To cement the peace, in 2004 Ecuador and Peru signed a treaty creating a jointly managed "peace park" between the countries, called the Cordillera del Condor Transboundary Protected Area. In the treaty, environmental conservation was explicitly aimed toward conflict resolution, and indeed, the area has experienced a great drop in conflict, possibly due in part to the mutual concessions required to create and manage the park. The park is notable, too, for the fact that the impetus for its creation came not from the government but from local inhabitants, who wanted reciprocated peace and land conservation.
The Mountains of India and Pakistan
For several years, researchers and conservationists have been advocating the creation of a "peace park" in the Kakakoram range of the Himalaya Mountains. The mountains are in northern Kashmir, a larger disputed region claimed, variously, by China, India, and Pakistan. India and Pakistan have been in conflict on and off for decades over political boundaries in Kashmir. Central to the fighting is Siachen Glacier, an area of strategic and environmental importance, since it helps supply fresh water for over a million people in Pakistan and India.
So far, though, most consideration of the glacier has been on its importance to military security. Meanwhile, the local environment is suffering from the decades of military presence--habitats of snow leopards, brown bears, and ibex are threatened, and human garbage is being dumped into mountain crevasses. The proposed Siachen Peace Park, which would be managed jointly by India and Pakistan, would not only ensure protection of the landscape, but it would offer the possibility of political peacemaking as well. Both armies might then withdraw from the Siachen region while saving face, the cooperation of creating the park would foster confidence between the nations, and the decision may even help catalyze stability throughout the rest of Kashmir. But the proposal still faces political hurdles, including creating the park's boundaries and, since it's unlikely that the countries would agree to remove all military presence, determining a peaceable role for the remaining soldiers.
The Future of Environmental Peacemaking
As of 2007, there were 227 transboundary protected areas, or "peace parks," worldwide. Though the first international peace park, Waterton-Glacier, was created between the U.S. and Canada in 1932, using such parks as a means of conflict resolution between antagonistic nations is still a new and controversial topic (Environment, May/June 2008, p.43). On a small scale, the United Nations is now incorporating "environmental diplomacy" in some blueprints for postwar recovery, to take into account the legacy of pollution and depleted resources that war often leaves on nations.
Many hurdles to environmental peacemaking remain. But so far the processes--whether informal talks or a "peace park" treaty--seem to offer localized solutions to both ecological and political problems, a nimble tool for conflict resolution in a future world even more strapped for resources.
Top photo by Mel B. via Flickr
RELATED LINKS:
Global Transboundary Protected Areas Network
World Commission on Protected Areas
UNEP Publication: "Understanding Environment, Conflict, and Cooperation"
EarthTrends
Transboundary Protected Areas, by country
