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Warfare Ecology pp 125–132Cite as

War and Biodiversity Conservation: The Role of Warfare Ecology

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Abstract

The environmental impacts of war are widely recognized but poorly understood, leading to calls for a dedicated subfield known as warfare ecology. Recent research establishes the relevance of warfare ecology to biodiversity conservation. Studies show that war is exceedingly prevalent in the world’s most biodiverse regions and that both overt and secondary impacts of conflict can be well documented. Additionally, specific conservation strategies for war-torn areas have been shown to reduce negative impacts to wildlife and habitat. Warfare ecology offers integrated models that can help predict the occurrence and cascading effects of war in biodiversity hotspots, as well as integrated research, education, and publication opportunities to advance policy goals. Priorities include incorporating conservation issues into military, relief, and reconstruction planning, as well as research to elucidate complex links between recurring conflicts, ecosystems, and the biological diversity they sustain.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Independent Conservation Biologist, Friday Harbor, WA, USA

    Thor Hanson

Authors
  1. Thor Hanson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Thor Hanson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, Moscow, 83844, Idaho, USA

    Gary E. Machlis

  2. False Bay Dr. 351, Friday Harbor, 98250, Washington, USA

    Thor Hanson

  3. , Institute for Applied Ecology, Oikon Ltd., Avenija Dubrovnik 6-8, Zagreb, 10 020, Croatia

    Zdravko Špirić

  4. Association of American Geographers, 1710 16th Street, NW, Washington, 20009-3198, District of Columbia, USA

    Jean E. McKendry

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© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

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Hanson, T. (2011). War and Biodiversity Conservation: The Role of Warfare Ecology. In: Machlis, G., Hanson, T., Špirić, Z., McKendry, J. (eds) Warfare Ecology. NATO Science for Peace and Security Series C: Environmental Security. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1214-0_9

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