Sustainable Society Design Center hosted Seminar on War and Conservation: Approaching Sustainability Challenges

Amidst the urgency of climate change, nations ravaged by warfare face unique challenges. Recent studies in conflict zones like Syria, Ukraine, Palestine, and Myanmar highlight severe environmental impacts, including biodiversity loss and pollution. As scholars in sustainability science, we aim to address these issues through research and policy recommendations.

To tackle these critical concerns, the Sustainable Society Design Center together with GPSS program hosted a seminar focusing on Myanmar's Kachin region. The event featured two distinguished speakers:

Laur Kiik, a postdoctoral research fellow at Tokyo College, University of Tokyo, has conducted ethnographic research in the Burma-China borderlands since 2010, focusing on nationalism, resource grabs, wildlife conservation, and war. Learn more about Laur Kiik.

Sinwa Naw, a PhD student at Sophia University, researches ethnic armed movements and natural resource conflicts in Myanmar. His work explores grassroots struggles for environmental justice.

Laur Kiik and Sinwa Naw highlighted the complex interplay between armed conflicts and their implications on wild-life conservation and environmental degradation. This seminar provided a platform for exchanging ideas and formulating strategies to mitigate the environmental impacts of warfare, underscoring the crucial role of academic research in shaping effective sustainability pathways.