To date, most efforts to conserve biodiversity have focused on times of peace. Addressing legal gapsĪlthough this toll is increasingly recognized, there is no special legal protection for biodiversity under international humanitarian law, which regulates how armed conflict is waged and lays out protections in order to limit its consequences. The weakening or collapse of governance and easy access to weapons can facilitate poaching and the illegal wildlife trade, while civilian coping strategies and the effect of conflict-displaced peoples in need of basic sustenance can lead to the overexploitation of natural resources. Between 19, over 90% of major armed conflicts with more than 1,000 casualties occurred in countries containing biodiversity hotspots more than 80% of these conflicts took place directly within hotspots.Īrmed conflict harms biodiversity in numerous ways: degrading forests, land, and natural resources accelerating species loss and impeding conservation efforts or research. Biodiversity hotspots - the world’s most species-rich yet threatened areas - cover only 2.4% of Earth’s land surface, but overlap strikingly with locations of armed conflicts historically. From the ravaging of Afghanistan's forests to the damage inflicted on Ukraine’s protected areas to the decimation of wildlife across the Democratic Republic of Congo, armed conflicts continue to have a devastating impact on biodiversity worldwide.
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