Critical Assessment of the Environmental Consequences of the Invasion of Kuwait, the Gulf War, and the Aftermath

Omar, Samira A. S.; Bhat, N. R.; Asem, Adel

doi:10.1007/978-3-540-87963-3_5

Cited by 14 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Land use has contributed to recent overwhelming declines in biodiversity through habitat fragmentation, modification, and loss, resulting in degraded ecosystems and environmental services (DeFries et al, 2004;Foley et al, 2005). The growing body of literature that addresses various direct and indirect impacts of armed conflict on the environment has put forth a range of hypotheses (Black, 1994;Cairns, 2003;Dudley et al, 2002;Jarrett, 2003;Loucks et al, 2009;Machlis and Hanson, 2008;McNeely, 2003;Omar et al, 2009). Studies have shown that conflict and warfare can either drive deforestation or favor forest recovery (Alvarez, 2003;Biswas and Tortajadaquiroz, 1996;Dávalos, 2001;Dudley et al, 2002;Glew and Hudson, 2007;Hecht and Saatchi, 2007;Kim, 1997;Kreike, 2003;Lodhi et al, 1998;McNeely, 2003;Westing, 1996).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Political shifts and changing forests: Effects of armed conflict on forest conservation in Rwanda

Ordway

2015

Global Ecology and Conservation

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h i g h l i g h t s• Aspects of conflict can have very different impacts on forest cover. • Theoretical framework distinguishes armed conflict activity impacts from conflict settlements. • Forest transitions in NW Rwanda indicated more spatially concentrated loss during conflict. • 96% of forest loss during conflict across the landscape occurred in protected areas.• Results underscore heavy dependence on forest resources during conflicts. a b s t r a c tMost armed conflicts in recent history occurred in biodiversity hotspots. Yet, studies examining impacts of warfare on forests yield contradictory results. This study provides a theoretical framework articulating different hypothetical relationships between conflict and forest transitions. Landsat TM and ETM+ data were analyzed to examine forest transitions in Rwanda during conflict and post conflict periods. Net trends showed little difference between periods, with a rate of 1.6% annual gain during conflict years, and 2.5% following the conflict. Closer inspection revealed spatially concentrated forest loss during conflict years; 96% occurred in protected areas with the most loss in Gishwati Forest Reserve at a rate of −6.1%. Trends were explored with spatially explicit conflict data that distinguished armed conflict activity from conflict induced settlements. Impacts of conflict on forests in Rwanda appear to be influenced by natural resource use near settlements. Massive migrations of people into settlements during the conflict, who had previously been scattered across the landscape, resulted in a redistribution of pressures. Reduced pressure elsewhere supports this inference. Results underscore the vulnerability of protected areas and the spatial dynamics of forest resource dependence during conflicts. This work demonstrates the value of distinguishing conflict activities to assess their varied environmental effects.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Political shifts and changing forests: Effects of armed conflict on forest conservation in Rwanda

Ordway

2015

Global Ecology and Conservation

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“…The massive oil spill that followed the Iraqi sabotage of ca. 800 oil wells (over 1 million m 3 of oil was released into the Persian Gulf) produced varied effects, including immediate changes in growth and reproduction due to the decreased sunlight produced by the smoke from the oil fires (Omar et al, 2009) and the direct destruction of the vegetation cover (such as saltmarshes and mangroves; Böer, 1993). The off-road movement of military vehicles and the construction of trenches and placement of mines also increased soil erosion and dune formation (see Sadiq &Mc-Cain, 1993 andOmar et al, 2009, for detailed information on the effects of the Gulf War).…”

Section: (A) (B)mentioning

confidence: 99%

¿Son compatibles la conservación de plantas y las guerras? El papel de las áreas en disputa, las áreas militares y las reliquias militares como reservas naturales

et al. 2019

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Las guerras y las actividades militares en general tienen un gran impacto en los humanos y en la biodiversidad, que se resume aquí brevemente. Algunos efectos adversos, aunque no éticamente aceptables en principio, producen sin embargo algunas oportunidades que, en última instancia, dieron lugar a acciones beneficiosas para la conservación de las plantas. Una breve revisión de diferentes casos de estudio alrededor del mundo y en diferentes períodos históricos muestran cómo las zonas y actividades militares pueden actuar de reservas naturales si se toman las decisiones administrativas apropiadas (con base científica) en un marco más amplio de conservación coordinada con otras áreas de la intervención humana en la biosfera.

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“…Sand lizards (Acanthodactylus scutellatus) and ants were found to have elevated levels of polyaromatic hydrocarbons due to the presence of oil lakes and seepage into soil and groundwater. Flora also exhibited bioaccumulation effects, which led to elevated presence of heavy metals and hydrocarbons in certain species (Omar, Bhat, & Asem, 2009). …”

Section: Terrestrial Ecologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Oil Spills in the Arabian Gulf: A Case Study and Environmental Review

Issa¹,

Vempatti²

2018

ENRR

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The following article is a review of oil spills in the Arabian Gulf with a focus on the Kuwait Spill during the Gulf War. The article provides some background on the events leading up to the oil spill, as well as the extent and details of the spill. Impacts on air quality, terrestrial ecology, marine ecology, socioeconomic aspects, and public health are analyzed in detail to assess the extent of damage on various environmental and social components. It was found that significant impacts were incurred on the marine and terrestrial environments, with some negative effects still persisting to our present day. Heavy economic impacts were also incurred in the form of infrastructure damage and loss of productivity. The article further provides a review of various natural, mechanical, and chemical means of remediation utilized during the clean-up efforts and provides a relative comparison of these for potential usage on similar events in the future.

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Critical Assessment of the Environmental Consequences of the Invasion of Kuwait, the Gulf War, and the Aftermath

Cited by 14 publications

References 49 publications

Political shifts and changing forests: Effects of armed conflict on forest conservation in Rwanda

Political shifts and changing forests: Effects of armed conflict on forest conservation in Rwanda

¿Son compatibles la conservación de plantas y las guerras? El papel de las áreas en disputa, las áreas militares y las reliquias militares como reservas naturales

Oil Spills in the Arabian Gulf: A Case Study and Environmental Review

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