Natural Resources, Conflict and Peace
From Blood Diamonds to Mountain Gorillas:
An Environmental Perspective on Peacebuilding in Africa
Featuring
Richard A. Matthew, PhD
Director, Center for Unconventional Security Affairs, School of Social Ecology, University of California, Irvine
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
7:30 am - 9:00 am
Beckman Center
100 Academy
Irvine, CA 92617
RSVP Required. Please RSVP to 949.824.2686 or cusa@uci.edu
Since 1990 at least eighteen violent conflicts have been fuelled by the exploitation of natural resources. In fact, recent research suggests that over the last sixty years at least forty per cent of all intrastate conflicts have a link to natural resources. Civil wars such as those in Liberia, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo have centred on "high-value" resources like timber, diamonds, gold, minerals and oil. Other conflicts, including those in Darfur and the Middle East, have involved control of scarce resources such as fertile land and water.
As the global population continues to rise, and the demand for resources continues to grow, there is significant potential for conflicts over natural resources to intensify in the coming decades. In addition, the potential consequences of climate change for water availability, food security, prevalence of disease, coastal boundaries and population distribution may aggravate existing tensions and generate new conflicts.
The Albertine Rift is one of the most biodiverse and ecologically unique regions of Africa. Sadly it has also been the site of some of the world's most violent conflicts in recent history. This turbulent context can pose a range of risks and opportunities to conservationists who are managing resources that can be both a seed of conflict and foundation for peacebuilding. In this briefing, CUSA Director Richard Matthew will report on our ongoing research to explore linkages between natural resources, environmental degradation and security issues.
About the Speaker
Richard A. Matthew (BA McGill; PhD Princeton) is Associate Professor of International and Environmental Politics in the Schools of Social Ecology and Social Science at the University of California at Irvine, and founding Director of the Center for Unconventional Security Affairs. He studies (a) the environmental dimensions of conflict and peacebuilding; (b) climate change adaptation in conflict and post-conflict societies; and (c) transnational threat systems. He has done extensive field work in conflict zones in South Asia and East, Central and West Africa. In addition to his positions at UCI, he is also the Senior Fellow for Security at the International Institute for Sustainable Development in Geneva; a senior member of the United Nations Expert Advisory Group on Environment, Conflict and Peacebuilding; and a member of the World Conservation Union's Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy. Dr. Matthew has received Certificates of Recognition for his research and service activities from the U.S. Congress, the California State Legislature and the City of Los Angeles. He has over 130 publications including six books and co-edited volumes.