ABSTRACT
This chapter explains for a three-level analysis of the conflict: local, national, and regional (incorporating neighboring countries). It begins with a discussion of the complexity of the Darfur conflict, arguing that it cannot be reduced to a single theory of competition over natural resources. The chapter introduces a livelihoods framework to explain the connections between the conflict, environmental degradation, and livelihoods. It explains how long-term processes of environmental degradation have accelerated and are associated with rapid and distorted processes of urbanization and the struggle for livelihoods in a contracting economy. The chapter reveals the limitations of the international humanitarian effort so far in engaging with, and attempting to reverse, some of these devastating trends. It employs the adapted livelihoods framework to explain how the conflict in Darfur has exacerbated environmental degradation and what this means for humanitarian programming and for peacebuilding.
