Environmental Peace Index: How a global index measuring conflict within protected areas and biodiversity hotspots may help transform environmental conflict

Peace, nature and livelihoods constitute a complex nexus with each impacting the other in either positive or negative ways. A global index ranking and measuring where conflict is occurring within biodiversity hotspots and... [ view full abstract ]

Peace, nature and livelihoods constitute a complex nexus with each impacting the other in either positive or negative ways. A global index ranking and measuring where conflict is occurring within biodiversity hotspots and protected areas and the nature of that conflict is missing from our global resources and is a potential tool to help provide focused action and mobilization of resources to address and transform such conflict. “If You Can't Measure It, You Can't Improve It”, the saying goes. 

Environmental conflict often revolves around access to resources and equitable livelihoods, or includes historic social conflict playing itself out within the conservation space. Direct human-wildlife conflict is another area of conflict that is not well measured or monitored at a global level with clarity around who the actors are or what specific conflict drivers are involved in any specific country or region. 

The development of an Environmental Peace Index aims to be a tool to address this by creating a global database of environmental conflicts linked to the type of conflict and its origin. By measuring these conflicts the capacity to identify early warning system to prevent or mitigate future conflict may become a significant peacebuilding tool.

Purpose

What indicators already exist and what other indicators need to be identified that should be included in an index to create a robust and representative overview of the state of conflict in respect to the environment? How can the conservation community support the creation and development of such an index? How might it be employed as a useful data tool through sharing case studies and insights, specifically at the confluence between economics, conservation and governance.

Desired Results

Stimulate further potential for collaboration on the development of the Environmental Peace Index.