WARBIO: Armed conflicts effect on global biodiversity

Armed conflicts have increased by 97% over the last years and over 80% of these conflicts have occurred in biodiversity hotspots, with several impacts on the environment. Most impacts of armed conflicts are indirect, being both unintentionally beneficial for the biodiversity (by creating isolated zones devoid of human activity) or negative (by fueling overhunting).

For example, in Angola, higher biodiversity is found in areas where landmines and Explosive Remnants of War have been deployed by making land and natural resources within inaccessible. However, the use of firearms distributed during the conflict combined with corruption has also turned Angola into a hotspot for ivory trafficking, which in turn was used to fund paramilitaries.

Due to the risks researchers may face, there is an absence of knowledge on this topic, which complicates conservation planning and priority-setting efforts. My interest is to spotlight a totally overlooked global issue, by i) creating a worldwide open-access database containing results of how armed conflicts impact biodiversity; ii) assessing military (e.g., landmines presence) and social dynamics (weapons accessibility) arising from conflicts that directly or indirectly influence species composition, distribution, abundance, and depletion in Angola; iii) analyse animal movement data in areas submitted to distinct military and social dynamics.

These insights will be valuable to i) protected areas managers in Angola give them information to improving policies and decision-making on wildlife management; ii) the Angolan

government in convincing trusts to invest in demining national parks; which will stimulate conservation and provide alternative livelihoods such as ecotourism, diversifying the country's economy away from oil; iii) organizations like the United Nations, that can enhance their strategies for safeguarding not only human rights but also the fauna in nations grappling with ongoing conflicts or

recently resolved hostilities.