Conflicts associated with natural resources are twice as likely to relapse into conflict in the first five years, an imminent report suggests. Indeed the natural resource curse has been a primary determinant of intra-state conflict in terrible theatres of war such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Liberia. Yet it extends far beyond the battle to acquire precious commodities.

Water crisis is largely a problem of governance.

Focusing on the case of Virunga National Park (PNVi) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), this paper looks at Multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and the impact of ongoing conflict. It also discusses opportunities for elevating environment-conflict issues to international policy levels to help save important ecosystems in times of conflict. It is explained that for the past two decades, the park and the surrounding area in North Kivu province have experienced near-constant violent conflict.

The development of mining value chains is conflictual but deeply intertwined with the goal of sustainable development.  The response of mining value chains to the shift to a green economy cannot be business-as-usual and requires a proactive answer by business, Government, labour, non-governmental organisations and the research community in support of sustainable development. The transition to a green economy will not fundamentally challenge the central position of mining value chains in South Africa’s development path.

This report emanates from an exploratory study conducted in 2009 by the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD), in collaboration with the Madariaga-College of Europe Foundation. With a focus on Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Sudan, the study solicited views and perspectives on the role that natural resources and the environment can play in complex conflict situations.

In the literature about macroeconomics and deforestation, it is often supposed that strong foreign exchange outflows (e.g. debt service) increase deforestation, as higher poverty augments frontier migration and natural resources are squeezed to generate export revenues. This paper analyses the opposite phenomenon, i.e. the deforestation impact of substantial foreign exchange inflows, which is analysed in the "Dutch Disease" macroeconomics literature.

Through a study of the sedentarization of the Beni Guil pastoral nomads of eastern Morocco,this paper examines how gender interacts with environmental and socio-economic change.

Divided into three parts, this collaborative work looks at the varied challenges brought about as a result of corruption in the water sector. It also looks at recent research conducted and provides an overview of the water sector corruption challenges in country profiles across the globe. Corruption in the water sector puts the lives and livelihoods of billions of people at risk. The onset of climate change and the increasing stress on water supply around the world make the fight against corruption in water more urgent than ever.

The forced resettlement of river basin communities because of dam construction is a highly controversial process. It can be justified only if plans are implemented to enable resettlers to raise their living standards. They should be involved in all stages of project decision-making including project identification and, if a dam is selected, in project planning, implementation and monitoring.In the past,
people could express their concerns about dams and resettlement schemes to
project authorities, but this rarely had much impact. Today, the preferred

This paper follows the 2005 Dhaka workshop on "Peri-urban aquatic production and improvement of the livelihoods of the urban poor in south east Asia". It aims to raise awareness and create dialogue amongst policy-makers and development practitioners concerning the nature, extent and potential of urban and peri-urban aquaculture in Bangladesh and West Bengal, in support of the Bengal Platform established at the workshop.

Governments and scientists have long regarded the pastoralists’ way of life as a cause of environmental degradation. This belief is rooted in a misunderstanding of the pastoralist way of life and is reflected in national policies on land tenure and resource access in Kenya. The area of land controlled by pastoralists has been steadily reduced, and pastoralists have been encouraged to give up their nomadic way of life and settle, leading to conflict between pastoralist groups and other land users and damage to the environment.