ABSTRACT
In peacebuilding, it is therefore critical that the environmental drivers and impacts of conflict are managed, that tension are defused, and that natural assets are used sustainably to support stability and development in the longer term. Indeed, there can be no durable peace if the natural resources that sustain livelihoods and ecosystem services are damaged, degraded or destroyed. Furthermore, the United Nation has not effectively integrated environment and natural resource considerations into its peacebuilding interventions. The environment and natural resources are often framed as issues to be addressed at a later stage. Rather, integrating these issues into peacebuilding should be considered a security imperative, as deferred action or poor choices made early on often establish unsustainable trajectories of recovery that may undermine long-term peace and stability. Recreating a viable economy after a prolonged period of violent conflict remains one of the most difficult challenges of peacebuilding.
