DMZ 일원 생태 í‰í™”ì  관리를 위한 êµ­ì œì»¨í¼ëŸ°ìŠ¤ - ìœ ë„¤ìŠ¤ì½”í•œêµ­ìœ„ì›íšŒ

Suggestions for bilateral cooperation
between North and South Korea:
Learning from success stories
❖ Background
Ms. Belinda BOWLING
Senior UNEP Expert
Post Conflict and Disaster Management Branch (PCDMB)
UNEP(United Nations Environment Programme)
The peace building potential of natural resources, fragile ecosystems and the environment
in areas straddling disputed or conflict prone political boundaries stems from a number of
properties that make them a good platform for cooperation between divided groups or
countries. First, while parties may diverge on certain political issues, they often share a
common dependence on the resources found in these disputed border regions. Given that
ecosystems and natural resources ignore political boundaries, parties are encouraged to work
together to sustainably manage resources or address common environmental threats in these
regions. Second, in contrast to political needs and self interests of parties (which are often
short-term in nature), environmental and natural resource management often requires
long-term cooperation, thereby providing an opportunity to build up trust over time and in
a step-wise manner. Third, given that natural resources or environmental problems present
in disputed or conflict-ridden zones can often be empirically quantified, political rhetoric or
misguided perception can often be transformed into a more technical debate. Finally,
cooperation over natural resources and the environment serves as a platform for
‘inclusivity’, encouraging dialogue and communication between and across different actors
from different levels and social strata.
In short, over time, it is UNEP’s view that regular interaction and cooperation between
divided groups over a specific resource issue or a common environmental threat in a
disputed border region or conflict affected zone may translate into changes of perception,
attitude and behaviour between former adversaries at the individual level. The ultimate aim
is that, with coordinated action, such cooperation will lead to spillover effects and generate
broader social and political dialogue at the higher leadership levels.
❖ Pathway of cooperation
While there are no templates for transforming environmental cooperation into broader
Nature, Peace and Local Development ❙ 97