Natural resource and land management programmes and interventions are becoming increasingly common and are often implemented in situations of open or latent violence. Goddard and Lemke (2013) find, however, that most fail to explicitly incorporate conflict sensitivity. Natural resources can be conflict drivers on their own and can also interact with other conflict drivers (UNDG-ECHA, 2013). In such situations, natural resource and land management need to be treated as peacebuilding interventions.
Well-intentioned interventions can have negative effects. A biodiversity conservation initiative, for example, may be seen as contributing to sustainable development but could result in violence if the government appropriates land and forcibly moves an indigenous group reliant on the land for its livelihood (Goddard & Lemke, 2013). The UNDP (2012, p. 7) outlines four key steps for conflict sensitive natural resource management. At every stage, processes should be inclusive and participatory.
- Develop shared understandings of the resource and conflict context.
- Design natural resource policies and projects based on this analysis.
- Build inclusive, transparent and accountable natural resource management systems.
- Monitor and evaluate environmental trends and results, allowing for continual determinations of whether conflicts are being addressed, if new conflicts are emerging and if progress is being made toward environmental sustainability.
Understanding gender dynamics of land tenure and natural resource management
Despite growing recognition of the importance of land to women and girls, their ability to access land and to enjoy secure tenure has declined. Even when programmes have been implemented to benefit women and girls, they have in some cases been ineffective due to lack of understanding of the different ways in which women and men use land. In addition, seemingly neutral approaches to land can impact negatively on women. For example, men may use a forest area for timber harvesting, whereas women use the area to produce non-wood forest products and gather food and herbs for medicines. A programme aimed at preserving forest area may provide alternative livelihoods for harvesters only, resulting in a disproportionate impact on women (Goddard & Lemke, 2013).
While linkages between climate change and conflict have received prominence in the literature, there has been much less attention to linkages between climate change adaptation and conflict. Responses to climate change also have the potential to threaten natural resources, livelihoods and human security (Babcicky, 2013). Vivekananda (2011) argues that if climate change policymakers and practitioners treat climate change adaptation as purely a technical intervention, responding solely to environmental risks (eg switching to drought resistant crops), they risk contributing to violence. It is also necessary to address the social consequences of climate change, such as conflicts between displaced flood victims and host communities and disputes over access to increasingly scarce resources, and to build community resilience against the impacts of climate change. At the same time, climate change adaptation has the potential to be a driver of peace, for example through the establishment of international agreements that outline collaboration.
Key texts
Goddard, N.& Lempke, M. (2013). Do no harm in land tenure and property rights: Designing and implementing conflict sensitive land programs. Cambridge, MA: CDA.
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UNDG-ECHA. (2013). Natural resource management in post-conflict transitional settings (UNDG-ECHA Guidance Note). United Nations Development Group (UNDG).
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UNDP. (2012). Strengthening capacity for conflict-sensitive natural resource management. Toolkit and guidance for preventing and managing land and natural resources conflict. Conflict Prevention Group at UNDP’s Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery.
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Climate change
Babcicky, P. (2013). A conflict-sensitive approach to climate change adaptation. Peace Review, 25(4), 480-488. doi: 10.1080/10402659.2013.846131
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Vivekananda, D. (2011). Conflict-sensitive responses to climate change in South Asia. London: International Alert, Initiative for Peacebuilding – Early Warning.
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