5 April 2016

Armed conflict must be factored into conservation decisions

The high incidence of armed conflicts in biodiverse regions, such as Africa, poses significant challenges in achieving international conservation targets.

A paper out today in Nature Communications led by Dr Edd Hammill (CEED, UQ & Uni Utah) and co-authored by Niels Strange at CMEC found that while factoring in potential armed conflict into environmental decisions increased up-front costs, the return on investment, in both species conservation and financially, can be increased by 100%.  Opting to completely avoid conflict-prone areas offers limited improvements and could lead to species, like the Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei), receiving no protection.   

READ THE PAPER HERE