Ecological Paradoxes of Conflict : The Dual Impact of Armed Conflicts and Humanitarian Crises on (…)

ABSTRACT

Armed conflicts and humanitarian crises across Africa generate profound yet understudied ecological consequences, reshaping ecosystems through complex processes of degradation and regeneration. This review synthesises evidence from across the continent to examine how warfare, displacement, and refugee settlements alter land use, biodiversity, and conservation outcomes. Conflicts weaken governance, disrupt protected area management, and enable illegal logging, mining, poaching, and unsustainable resource extraction, driving deforestation, habitat fragmentation, and wildlife decline. Refugee settlements, often located near ecologically sensitive areas, intensify pressures on forests, water, and arable land through high demand for fuelwood, food, and construction materials. Quantitative studies, including standardised biodiversity surveys in northern Uganda, reveal striking declines in amphibian, reptile, and plant diversity in refugee-impacted areas compared to nearby controls. Moreover, empirical evidence from Central and East Africa documents sharp increases in bushmeat trade and consumption during and after periods of armed instability. Yet conflict can also produce paradoxical positive effects, where human abandonment allows vegetation recovery and wildlife resurgence, as documented in Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park and other war-affected landscapes. These contrasting dynamics highlight the dual role of conflict as both a driver of ecological collapse and a catalyst for ecosystem resilience. Integrating social science, ecology, and conflict studies is essential to develop conservation strategies that address both human welfare and biodiversity protection. By framing conflict and displacement as intertwined socio-ecological processes, our study highlights the urgent need for interdisciplinary approaches to manage Africa's vulnerable ecosystems under conditions of chronic instability.