Using Natural Resources Management as a Peacebuilding Tool: Observations and Lessons from Central Western Mindanao
Evans, Darren
The conflict in Mindanao, Philippines, is widely presented as a religious one, often within a wider
Southeast Asian context. Yet many of the underlying disputes and tensions are the result of local
issues revolving around ownership, use and access to land and natural resources and the resultant
impact upon livelihoods. At the local level in Mindanao peacebuilding activities need to address
these livelihood issues. A number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the area already
have separate peacebuilding and natural resource management activities, yet they seem unable to
link the two, both within their programmes and at a conceptual level. This paper argues that at the
practical level these management activities have the potential, when used together, to reduce
communal conflict and address basic human needs. The paper is based primarily on interviews with
local NGO practitioners, and though not exhaustive, it provides a number of interesting lessons
that have significance beyond Mindanao.
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