Peace Parks: Conservation and Conflict Resolution

In Peace Parks: Conservation and Conflict Resolution—brilliantly conceived and edited by Saleem H. Ali—31 authors explore the multiple ways in which environmental conservation zones can facilitate the resolution of territorial conflicts. Ali concludes with “a sense of optimism” because the concept of international peace parks (sometimes known as transboundary protected areas or trans-frontier conservation areas) is expanding rapidly (p. 341). The 17 case studies gathered in this volume show that ecological factors have the potential to become instrumental in peacebuilding; however, much of the evidence is not fully conclusive, and the role of peace parks in international affairs remains in the realm of the possible, not of the certain.