Report: Protected Area Conservation in Yemen’s Conflict
Publisher: Conflict and Environment Observatory
Date: 2021
Topics: Renewable Resources
Countries: Yemen
Biodiversity and flourishing ecosystems have an intrinsic value, but they also underpin livelihoods and local economies, contribute to food and water security and help mitigate the effects of climatic extremes. Yemen’s geological history, diverse landscapes and climate have created a range of habitats and a rich – and in places unique – diversity of terrestrial and marine species.
Historic efforts to protect key biodiversity areas in Yemen have met with limited success. Donor funded projects often failed to take the needs of communities into account, while limited government capacity and weak governance meant that many protected areas enjoyed little protection.
This report assesses the impact that the conflict has had on five of Yemen’s protected areas. In doing so it examines a range of underlying dynamics relevant to area-based conservation in Yemen, and during armed conflicts elsewhere.