Pretty Places And Conflict Resolution

In honor of Earth Day, I’m going to post a little news story about Afghanistan’s first national park and the concept of peace parks.

Weird Connotation, Cool Concept

Doesn’t the name “peace park” just bring all sorts of images of granola eating vegan hippies singing about free love? It does to me! Luckily, it is also known as a “transboundary protected” area so granola haters can sleep better at night.*

The UNEP defines a transboundary protected area as:

“Protected areas that meet across international borders provide important opportunities for collaboration between managers and scientists in neighbouring countries…These areas provide possibilities for promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable use across politically divided ecosystems, while at the same time encouraging international collaboration in management, the sharing of experience and the sharing of information.”

When I first heard about peace parks I thought it was one of the dumbest ideas I had ever heard. How is a park going to promote peace in areas of conflict? Its all about bringing stakeholders together and getting them to understand their mutual dependence on the environment, and instead of fostering competition for resources, foster cooperation for conservation. Saleem Ali, a Pakistani-American who is a scholar on Islamic and environmental issues writes:”…If managed and implemented effectively, conservation with community consent and conflict resolution are goals worth pursuing”.

Anne Hammill and Charles Besancon in Ali’s book, entitled Peace Parks, note that while the concept of peace parks is exciting, it is largely an untested phenomenon. However, there is evidence to show that peace parks contribute to building a culture of peace and cooperation in the following ways:

• Acting as a symbol of cooperation and peace;
• Increasing security and control over resources in border areas so that rightful owners may benefit from them;
• Creating shared opportunities for ecotourism and sustainable development on a region-wide scale;
• And, developing resilient relationships among protected area managers from the countries involved, other government actors, international NGO’s, and the donor community. (Ali 24)

Peace Parks and the Reconstruction of Afghanistan

Stephan Fuller argues in Peace Parks that environmental protection along Afghanistan’s conflict-prone borders might offer new opportunities to ease ethnic tensions. He goes so far as to suggest that its classification as a “failed state” makes it a great candidate for the use of peace parks. Failed states are often those in which the governing body fails to find an acceptable means of expressing national identity. Addressing national identity through the use of peace parks can have dramatic effects on Afghanistan’s recovery. (Ali 291)

For sure, many humanitarian crises in Afghanistan are strongly correlated with 25 years of environmental degradation due to persistent conflict. It is only recently that reconstruction of Afghanistan has included environmental intiatives as well as those aimed at economic development, job creation, and poverty alleviation. (Ali 293)

Fuller asserts that environmental conservation alone is not enough to successfully rebuild Afghanistan.

“The key objectives of development and stability in Afghanistan and the region are not going to be achieved through a small program related to biodiversity conservation and protected areas, no matter how closely this is to community development and poverty alleviation. The most essential objectives include a regional program of partnership for economic development and trade, supported by enlightened policies of the principal players in the security umbrella that has been erected over the country, particularly the policies of the United States and its NATO partners.” (Ali 310)

Given all of those suggestions, its easy to see why the first national park at Band-e-Amir in the Bamiyan province holds such promise as a peace park. It is a “spectacular region of deep blue lakes separated by natural dams of travertine, a mineral deposit” and is visited by thousands of Afghans and pilgrims. (“Afghans get first national park”) Band-e-Amir is indeed listed among Fuller’s suggested protected areas.

“The capital of Bamiyan is where Taliban fighters in spring 2001 blasted away two towering ancient Buddha statues carved into the region’s red cliffs. Officials believe that Band-e-Amir and the remnants of the statues can combine for a powerful tourist attraction if Afghan, U.S. and NATO forces can tamp down militant violence.” (“Deep blue lakes become Afghanistan’s first park”)

Here’s hoping that US and NATO forces will be able to successfully reduce the violence so that this national park can have a truly great effect at restoring pride and dignity to the people of Afghanistan. Happy Earth Day!

Works Cited

Stephan Fuller, “Linking Afghanistan with Its Neighbors Through Peace Parks: Challenges and Prospects”, in Peace Parks ed. Saleem Hassan Ali (2007) pp. 291-312

BBC News, “Afghans get first national park“

Associated Press, “Deep blue lakes become Afghanistan’s first park“

*I don’t know why I brought that up because I actually really like granola.