"Planet Earth has lost more than 60 per cent of all terrestrial wildlife in the last 50 years.1Fourteen out of the twenty-five countries most vulnerable to climate change are in conflict."2
Nature and biodiversity are part of our life support system. The natural world provides resources that sustain all life on Earth including human life — from the air we breathe and the water we drink, to the food we eat and the ecosystem services that nature provides, which also help adjust to the damaging impacts of climate change. There is no substitute for all the services nature provides.
Resource scarcity has long been recognised as a threat multiplier of conflict and fragility. In all, 40 per cent of internal armed conflicts in the last 60 years have been related to natural resources. That is set to increase as the impacts of climate change are seen in water scarcity, desertification, population movements and food insecurity. Meanwhile, the cost of conflict is also felt through its environmental impact. As many as 80 per cent of all major armed conflicts in the second half of the 20th Century took place directly in biodiversity hotspots that sustain around half the world’s plants and rare species of animals.3 The 19 countries with the highest number of ecological threats are among the world’s 40 least peaceful countries including Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Chad, India and Pakistan.4
HALO encounters the realities of these impacts amongst the communities we work in on a daily basis. Environmental degradation puts pressure on limited resources and is already driving mass internal migration, placing further stress on communities and regions. Building resilient and secure communities is essential to prevent escalation of tensions and fragility, and this must include restoration of land ecosystems. The nature of HALO’s work means we operate in many of the most climate and conflict-affected regions in the world, in areas that are often inaccessible to other organisations.
In 2023, we published our Global Environment Strategy which outlines the ambition of our environmental work.
Impact projects
We recognise the growing link between our work and the need to help preserve biodiversity and arrest climate change. We are partnering with conservationists and other environmental experts to address these inter-connected issues. Thanks to the generous support of a long-term family foundation donor, since 2021 we have launched a number of local impact projects focused on improving and accelerating the sustainability and impact of our programmes around the world. These projects advance ecological protection and conservation in some of the world’s most vulnerable settings. They provide opportunities for women and girls in conflict affected areas, and they build environmental skills for our workforce and partners through environmental master planning, training, and use of technology such as drone based remote sensing and GIS.
Laos: Carbon, Climate and Clean Energy
Introducing a clean energy solar power model for off-grid operations at HALO's base office to reduce our environmental impact. Planting native tree species on HALO cleared land, to improve soil and water conservation and biodiversity, benefitting the local population.
Angola: Conservation in a post-conflict landscape
HALO’s environment work in Angola is focused on preventing, mitigating and responding to the long-term environmental impacts of conflict, supporting the sustainable livelihoods of people affected by conflict and climate change. HALO is currently supporting in-depth research into the environmental impacts of conflict and explosive ordnance in Angola, assisting in the collection of ecological and community baseline data, and supporting environmental NGO and private sector partners with operational delivery. HALO is registered with the National Institute for Biodiversity and Conservation (INBC) to deliver conservation activities, and in-country partners currently include The Nature Conservancy, The Wild Bird Trust, the Elephant Protection Initiative Foundation and Development Aid from People to People (ADPP).
Somaliland: Rehabilitating Rangelands
In Somaliland, HALO works with national partners to support communities to adapt to climate risks. This includes: constructing soil bunds for rainwater catchment to enable improve percolation and support the regrowth of vegetation on cleared land; reseeding safe land with native grasses to reduce soil erosion and degradation; planting multi-purpose, drought resistant trees for shade, fruit, and animal fodder; building fenced community-run enclosures to aid dry season fodder production and biodiversity gains; equipping communities with knowledge and tools to maintain project assets under their own management; and rehabilitating community water storage facilities to prevent contamination and evaporation.
Sri Lanka: Coastal Eco System Restoration
During Sri Lanka’s civil war, large areas of coastal vegetation, including mangroves, were completely destroyed in order to lay landmines and build defensive works. These ecosystems are vital for communities who rely on them as a natural barrier to saltwater ingress and protection against storm surges. HALO is working with local partners to re-establish the coastal ecosystem, conducting restoration of mangrove forests and scientific assessments of the environmental impacts of conflict and subsequent landmine removal.
Somalia: Frankincense Woodland Protection
HALO is developing nature-based and community-supported solutions to protect the Boswellian woodland ecosystem and its associated Frankincense tree. This will promote the sustainable use of natural resources in former minefield areas and introduce conservation master planning at a local level in a highly important ecoregion.
In El Salvador we are bringing the rigour of the minefield to the mangroves—one of the most productive and critical ecosystems on the planet. HALO is building chinampas, floating islands of mud, straw and bamboo, to plant saplings to restore the mangrove forest in an area of Jiquilisco Bay that was damaged by an earthquake in the year 2000. The project provides employment for at-risk youth to work alongside HALO’s team and addresses environmental degradation in a region that has historically been impacted by civil conflict and gang violence.
With Associacion Mangle, a local conservation NGO, HALO is supporting the vital restoration of El Salvador's coastal mangrove forests (one of the most productive and critical ecosystems on the planet). This project is also creating opportunities for at-risk youth by employing them as conservation corps restoration workers to set up mangrove nurseries and protect these areas.
Cambodia: Tropical Dry Forest Community Conservation & Ecological Restoration Management
In Cambodia, HALO is working within the Community Forest framework to support local community management in an 18,000 hectare Wildlife Sanctuary and Community forest (Sang Rukhavaon) in Oddar Meanchey—a heavily mined area where our clearance activities are ongoing. We are also supporting natural resource management through livelihood support in six surrounding communities. This includes teaching sustainable environment protection techniques and supporting local women, including our own staff, to become environmental educators.
Afghanistan: Environmental Health & Waste Management
HALO has conducted a baseline environmental impact assessment resulting in practical climate and environmental measures for both HALO demining camps and local communities in the Shakerdara Valley. This includes decentralised waste treatment systems to provide urgently needed sanitation infrastructure. HALO works with local partners to address barriers to post-clearance sustainable land use, including through the use of soil sampling, erosion control measures and enhancement of irrigation practices.
The HALO Trust Environmental Marker
HALO has developed an environmental marker to systematically measure the environment and conservation footprint of our activities. The marker tool, in partnership with mine action sector colleagues from other agencies, facilitates the implementation of practical mitigation actions to reduce negative environmental impacts, as well as identifying opportunities to enhance environmental benefits.
Sustainable Land-use in Iraq
In Iraq, HALO works with local farmers to identify and address post-clearance barriers to sustainable land-use. Alongside local partners, HALO facilitates low-cost, high-impact farming measures with the aim of enhancing long-term crop yields and broader food security.
Agricultural Training in Zimbabwe
In Zimbabwe, HALO is working with local partners to pilot innovative training schemes for our own staff and local communities. This includes the construction of small demo farms alongside remote minefield camps, facilitating ongoing training in sustainable and regenerative farming practices for staff based at these camps. In addition, HALO is supporting wider community-based initiatives to equip small scale farmers with the skills and resources they need to sustainably manage land that has historically been impacted by legacy explosive ordnance contamination.
Soil Sampling in Ukraine
In Ukraine, our teams on the ground are working with local universities to conduct soil sampling and analyses, contributing to cutting edge research on the impacts of explosives on soil health and soil fertility. In addition, we are working with local partners to understand and address the broader impacts of conflict on the environment and agricultural practices.
HALO is grateful to the generous support of a loyal family foundation donor which has invested in the development of many of these high-impact environmental projects globally.
1. https://www.cbd.int/gbo5
2. ICRC. July 2020. “When Rain Turns to Dust.” Available at: https://bit.ly/climate-conflict-environment
3. ICRC. September 2020. “Guidelines on the protection of the natural environment in armed conflict.” Available at: https:// bit.ly/icrc-humanitarian-law
4. Vision of Humanity. 2021. “Ecological Threat Report.” Available at: https://bit.ly/ecological-threat-report
