Forests: Finances, Fighting, and Fragility [EnPAx Forest Interest Group]

Theme Icon - Conservation, Conflict, and Cooperation

Date & Time
Jun 19, 2026 | 11.00 - 12.30

Location
CRX 440

Participants
Chair: Alice Taberner, Universidade de São Paulo and King's College (Italy/Brazil)
Lina Aburas Awadalla, University of Ottawa (Canada)
Shaadee Ahmadnia, Conservation International (United States)
Uche Okpara, University of Greenwich (United Kingdom)
Chikaodili Orakwue, University of Johannesburg (Nigeria)
Abdul-Jalil S. Umngan, Bangsamoro Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Energy (Philippines)

Forests occupy a critical intersection of environmental governance, climate finance, livelihoods, and conflict dynamics. This session explores how forest-related policies and initiatives can both mitigate and exacerbate insecurity in fragile and conflict-affected settings. Presentations examine the unintended consequences of criminalizing tree cutting, the potential of jurisdictional REDD+ programs to support low-emissions development in contexts affected by fragility and violence, and the environmental impacts of armed conflict in Nigeria’s Lake Chad region. Additional contributions assess the peacebuilding potential of large-scale restoration efforts through the Great Green Wall Initiative and explore sustainable forest management as a foundation for peacebuilding in the Bangsamoro region of the Philippines. Together, these papers highlight the complex relationships between forests, governance, finance, and security, offering insights into how forest-based interventions can be designed to advance environmental sustainability while supporting resilience, social cohesion, and lasting peace.

This session is sponsored by the EnPAx Forest Interest Group.

Criminalization of tree cutting: A climate-friendly policy that increases insecurity.

Lina Aburas Awadalla, University of Ottawa (Canada)

Jurisdictional REDD+ as a Pathway to Low Emissions Development in Fragile, Conflict, and Violence-Affected States​

Shaadee Ahmadnia, Conservation International (United States)

Weapons, Forests, Land and Rivers: How Armed Conflicts Drive Environmental Change in the Nigeria's Lake Chad Territory

Uche Okpara, University of Greenwich (United Kingdom)

Greening the Sahel, Building Resilience and Fostering Peace: Examining the Transformative Role of the Great Green Wall Initiative

Chikaodili Orakwue, University of Johannesburg (South Africa)

Freedom Fighters for Forest Frontiers: Developing a Sustainable Forest Management Model for Bangsamoro Peacebuilding

Abdul-Jalil S. Umngan, Bangsamoro Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Energy (Philippines)