Collateral Values

Book excerpt: This book explores the unanticipated benefits that may arise after wars and conflicts, showing how the preservation of battlefields and the establishment of borderlands can create natural capital in the former landscapes of war. The editors call this Collateral Value, in contrast to the collateral damage that war inflicts upon infrastructure, natural capital, and human capital. The book includes case studies recounting successes and failures, opportunities and risks, and ambitious proposals. The book is organized in two sections. The first visits U.S., English, and French battlefield sites dating from medieval England to World War I. The second explores borderlands located on several continents, established to end or prevent conflict. Both of these can create value beyond their original purpose, by preserving natural areas and restoring biodiversity. Among the topics covered are: · Registering English Battlefields · Old forts and new amenities in the Southern Plains of the U.S. · Verdun, France, and the conservation of WWI cultural and natural heritage · Conservation lessons learned in the Cordillera del Condor Corridor of the Andes mountains · Korea’s DMZ and its nature preserve · Wakhan National Park, a mountainous buffer area between Afghanistan and Pakistan The book examines state-of-the-art applications of landscape ecology, including methods for change detection, connectivity analysis, and the quantification of ecosystem services. Also included is a chapter on a creative proposal for “Guantánamo 2.0,” which would transform the Gitmo detention facility into a peace park and ecological research center. A concluding chapter appraises the past, present, and future of Collateral Values. Collateral Values: The Natural Capital Created by Landscapes of War benefits a broad audience of advanced undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, and practicing professionals.