ADDRESSING EXTREME CONFLICTS THROUGH PEACE PARKS

Abstract

The end the Cold War has not brought violent conflict to an end. Thewar in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq, as well as recent events in New York, London, Madrid and Bali suggest that the danger of potential destructive wars remains high. Civil wars or other smaller scale conflicts continue in many African countries, killing and displacing vast amounts of people from the Sudan to the Congo. Drug cartels continue to wreak havoc in countries in South America. Similar examples can be given from Cambodia, Myanmar, Philippines, Indonesia, Nepal and Sri Lanka. These are examples of conflict that affect societies at large in many tropical forest countries. Because of modern means of communication, increasing demand on resources driven by higher consumption levels and larger number of people, and the spread of modern instruments of war, future wars are likely to be extremely destructive for both people and nature.