In times of conflict, combatants and civilians often seek sanctuary in forests. Forests are sometimes targeted militarily for that reason or cleared to allow the passage of troops.

Less known however is that forests are also at risk in the immediate aftermath of war when post-conflict agendas bring competing pressures to bear on forest cover.

Art Blundell, Doug Farah and Emily Harwell, the authors of background papers focusing on forests and fragile states, shared their insights during a lunch-time discussion at the World Bank. The event was part of an ongoing series based on the thematic papers and case studies prepared for the World Development Report 2011 which examines the interlinked issues of conflict, security and development.

Following the discussion, we put three short questions to Art Blundell and Emily Harwell:

Do forests cause conflicts?

Post-conflict pressures on forests

When theft becomes a war crime