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Application of the Human Ecosystem Model in Warfare Ecology

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Warfare Ecology

Abstract

Warfare affects coupled human-natural systems. The relative effects and their distribution depend upon a variety of pre-existing conditions; specific activities prior to, during, and after violent conflict; and the scales of these activities over time and space. Warfare implies not only intended consequences, but also unintended ones, and both negative and positive outcomes. Social ecological models provide systematic means by which differential effects can be measured, mapped, and predicted. Strand-by-strand analyses of whole-system effects on different populations and ecosystems are possible. Pre-existing conditions in biophysical resources, socioeconomic resources, and cultural resources influence not only what are defined as potentially contested territory and targets for violence, but also post-war outcomes. This paper describes the application of one social ecological model, the Human Ecosystem Model, to preparation for war, violent conflict, and post-war activities; and presents means by which social ecological models can improve understanding of the coupled human-natural systems outcomes of war.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Detailed information on the structure of the refugee camps’ organizational and governance structure is available at http://www.tbbc.org/camps/management.htm

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environment & Sustainable Development Research Centre, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada

    Shawn E. Dalton

Authors
  1. Shawn E. Dalton
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shawn E. Dalton .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, Moscow, 83844, Idaho, USA

    Gary E. Machlis

  2. False Bay Dr. 351, Friday Harbor, 98250, Washington, USA

    Thor Hanson

  3. , Institute for Applied Ecology, Oikon Ltd., Avenija Dubrovnik 6-8, Zagreb, 10 020, Croatia

    Zdravko Špirić

  4. Association of American Geographers, 1710 16th Street, NW, Washington, 20009-3198, District of Columbia, USA

    Jean E. McKendry

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© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

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Dalton, S.E. (2011). Application of the Human Ecosystem Model in Warfare Ecology. In: Machlis, G., Hanson, T., Špirić, Z., McKendry, J. (eds) Warfare Ecology. NATO Science for Peace and Security Series C: Environmental Security. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1214-0_17

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