Peace Parks book explores how protected areas can resolve conflict

A book which examines how environmental conservation can be used to contribute to peace-building in conflict zones has just been published.

Peace Parks, with a foreword by the World Conservation Union’s Director General, Julia Marton-Lefèvre, explores how the parks can help resolve political and territorial disputes.

The book, edited by Saleem Ali, who is a member of IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas, describes real-life examples such as the Selous-Niassa Wildlife Corridor in Africa and the Emerald Triangle conservation zone in Indochina. It also looks to the future and investigates the peace-building potential of envisioned parks in security-intensive areas, such as the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea and the US-Mexican border.

In her foreword, Julia Marton-Lefèvre wrote: “The linkage between a healthy environment and peace is increasingly apparent. Many of the roots of current and future conflicts stem from competition for scarce natural resources.

“The World Conservation Union has been actively involved in promoting transboundary protected areas for many years. These areas make sound sense from the context of biodiversity conservation, as plants and animals clearly do not recognize artificial boundaries.”

The book examines the roles played by governments, the military, civil society, scientists, and conservationists, and their effects on both the ecological management and the potential for peace-building in these areas.

With contributors from a variety of disciplines and diverse geographic regions, Peace Parks is not only a groundbreaking book in international relations, but a valuable resource for policy makers and environmentalists.

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For more information, please contact:

Sarah Halls, Global Media Relations Officer, The World Conservation Union (IUCN), Tel: +41 22 999 0127, e-mail: sarah.hallsnoneiucn.org, Web: www.iucn.org