Managing Natural Resources for Livelihoods: Helping Post-Conflict Communities Survive and Thrive
Publisher: Environmental Law Institute
Author(s): Lisa Goldman and Helen Young
Date: 2015
Topics: Livelihoods
Given the strong connections between economies, natural resources, and war, a focus on sustainable livelihoods during the post-conflict period offers opportunities to promote peacebuilding. The solution: Helping communities survive and thrive.
Around the world, natural resources play a significant role in the buildup to, onset of, and continuation of violent conflict. Once peace agreements are signed, natural resources remain critical to peacebuilding, as they can help to ensure that a cease fire is lasting, and that redevelopment is equitable and sustainable. The role of natural resources in promoting peace or fueling conflict—and they can do either one depending on the policy environment—is often intertwined with the livelihoods of local communities. Thus, a livelihoods lens can improve understanding of how natural resources are linked to war, and provide new insights into conflict mitigation and the design and implementation of more targeted and effective peacebuilding approaches.