TROPICAL FORESTS AND EXTREME CONFLICT

Abstract

From the deadly raids launched upon Burundi’s capital by Hutu rebels hiding in the nearby Tenga forest, to the multimillion dollar exploitation of teak along the Thai- Burmese border by the Karen National Union, insurgents have repeatedly used forests as a refuge or a source of finance. Located near roads and towns that are of military importance, or along border areas offering political sanctuary, forests provide some of the safest terrain from which to prepare or launch guerrilla operations. Forest products are among the most conspicuous resources financingwars in a post-ColdWar erawhere business and predation have replaced foreign state support (Le Billon, 2001). As rebels take advantage of their location in forests to control or establish logging operations, underfunded or financially self-interested government military forces deployed for counterinsurgency purposes frequently join in. Logging companies also seem to accept a higher degree of risk than entrepreneurs in most other sectors, for instance to access increasingly rare and valuable old growth forests.