What is the News?
International Union for Conservation of Nature(IUCN) has released a report titled “Nature in a Globalised World: Conflict and Conservation”.
About the Nature in a Globalised World Report:
- The report focuses on complex relationships between nature and the armed conflict.
- Objective: The objective is to bring nature conservation into the mainstream of economic and political decision-making.
Key Findings of the Nature in a Globalised World Report:
- Armed Conflicts have numerous negative effects on nature. These include:
- Direct killing of wildlife for food or trade
- Degradation of ecosystems as both a tactic and a consequence of war
- Disruption of conservation, e.g. through attacks on protected area staff and other conservationists.
- Greater conflict risk: The report gave examples about the impact on a range of species from conflicts:
- During the 1994 war in Rwanda, 90% of the large mammals in the Akagera National Park were killed for food or trade.
- The Vietnam War almost certainly accelerated the extinction of the Javan rhinoceros.
- Further, the report has found that armed conflicts are particularly prevalent in some of the more biodiverse regions of the world.
- Moreover, civil unrest and military exercises pose a risk to more than 200 Endangered species. This includes even the iconic species such as the Critically Endangered Eastern gorilla.
- However, conflicts were less frequent within the boundaries of the natural reserves and other protected areas.
Recommendations of the Nature in a Globalised World:
The report has recommended a series of suggestions such as:
- Strengthening the natural resource governance through measures like inclusive decision-making
- Improving accountability and transparency
- Recognising the rights of indigenous peoples and of women
- Establishment of explicit protections for protected area staff, environmental defenders and other conservationists and
- Sanctions against those who commit environmental war crimes.
Source: Livemint
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