Participatory Approaches To Environmental Conflict Resolution In Cyprus

There are four conceptual relationships between the environment and conflict: the environment as a tool for conflict resolution, or as a source of conflict, environmental damage as a result of conflict, and the creation of de-facto ecological havens in demilitarized zones. The focus of this article is on Cyprus, which has been divided since 1974, and where since the late 1990s the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been involved in testing different methodologies for leveraging environmental issues as entry points for conflict resolution. This has involved a growing realization that environment is at its most powerful as a peace-building tool when it is combined with a focus on citizen participation.