Moro Islamic Liberation Front combatants in a military formation at Camp Darapanan in Sultan Kudarat town, Maguindanao. MILF fighters will be decommissioned in line with the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, the final peace deal between the government and the MILF signed in 2014. MindaNews file photo by BONG S. SARMIENTO
KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 16 May) — The decades-long armed conflicts in Mindanao have taken its toll not only on human lives and its economy but also on biodiversity conservation, a published research study said.
Titled “Caught in the Crossfire: Biodiversity Conservation Paradox of Sociopolitical Conflict,” the study was published last month by Nature’s npj Biodiversity, an open access, international, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to publishing the “highest quality research relevant to all aspects of biodiversity research.”
“Our study revealed that areas with higher conflict levels exhibited lower species richness, fewer occurrence records, and reduced forest cover,” said Krizler Tanalgo, associate professor at the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern Mindanao in Kabacan, North Cotabato.
In an email, Tanalgo, one of the paper’s authors, said that security risks caused by socio-political conflicts could have a negative impact on conservation efforts, particularly in terms of monitoring and implementing measures to protect natural resources.
The study noted that environmental footprints of military activities, explosives, and landmines cause long-lasting damage to ecosystems, leading to the loss of critical habitats for diverse flora and fauna.
It highlighted the war and other armed conflicts in Mindanao in the last two decades, and the turmoil’s impact on biodiversity conservation on the island.
According to the paper, Mindanao has at least 30 key biodiversity areas (KBAs), which are home to high concentrations of endemic and threatened species. KBAs are sites that contribute significantly to the global persistence of biodiversity in terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems.
At least 2,174 conflicts were recorded in Mindanao from 2000 to 2021, with the highest levels of violence recorded in Sulu and Maguindanao provinces, the study said.
In regions where security risks impede the ability of scientists to conduct biodiversity assessments, documented biodiversity may underrepresent the actual diversity of species, the study said, adding that this disparity can have profound implications for conservation efforts and for scientists’ understanding of the true biodiversity status of conflict-stricken regions.
Sulu is a known base of the Abu Sayyaf Group, an Islamic separatist organization which became notorious in the early 2000s for kidnapping and beheading its captives, while Maguindanao is the bailiwick of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a former rebel group that forged a peace deal with the government in 2014 after 17 years of negotiations.
The MILF broke away from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in the late ‘70s. The MNLF signed a final peace agreement with the Philippine government in 1996. In the course of the rebellion of the two Moro fronts, some 120,000 individuals, including civilians, were reportedly killed.
“Our study revealed that areas with high conflict levels, as indicated by high fatality rates, had lower tree cover and forest density,” the authors wrote. “Our current finding aligns with many previous studies suggesting that conflict zones often experience increased habitat destruction, ecosystem disruption, and wildlife population reduction due to the lack of statutory regulations and challenging implementation of environmental policies in high-conflict areas.”
Sulu, Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi are part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Although most areas in Mindanao are now relatively accessible, such as the Ligawasan Marsh in the BARMM region, conducting biodiversity research remains a challenge because of the fear brought about by past conflict events and the disruption of local peace and order in some areas, the study noted.
The 288,000-hectare Ligawasan Marsh, the country’s largest wetland, remains a known stronghold of the MILF, whose forces are still undergoing a decommissioning process as agreed with the government, and its splinter, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, which the military continues to pursue.
The authors, however, cautioned that the results of their study need careful interpretation.
“It is crucial to explore whether the observed relationship is causal or merely correlational, considering factors like human displacement and changes in land use during conflicts,” the paper stated.
“If armed conflict indeed proves to be a significant driver of biodiversity loss in Mindanao, it has profound implications for conservation efforts in conflict-affected regions, necessitating collaborative strategies among policymakers, conservationists, and humanitarian organizations working in the region,” it added.
The authors recommended conservation strategies in conflict areas not just in Mindanao but also for the other parts of the country, including the establishment of a regional biodiversity database, crisis mapping and data analysis, biodiversity monitoring using remote-sensing technologies, establishment of wildlife corridors, creation “peace parks,” and partnership with the military for management and enforcement. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
Citation:Hilario-Husain, B.A., Tanalgo, K.C., Guerrero, S.J.C. et al. Caught in the crossfire: biodiversity conservation paradox of sociopolitical conflict. npj biodivers 3, 10 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44185-024-00044-8