This case study, authored exclusively for IEDS through our internship program, by James Mulligan, tells the story of offshore oil regulation by the Minerals Management Service (MMS) leading up to the Deepwater Horizon disaster. It is late May 2010. As an advisor to Secretary of Interior, Ken Salazar, you have been called upon to propose and frame reform initiatives that meet the problem and political environment at hand...... Case is ideal for environmental management courses in various professional settings. A teaching note is also available by contacting ieds@uvm.edu Download full case study here
Publications
The following list displays the most recently added publications at the top.
The Minerals Management Service
Afghanistan's Mineral Fortune: Multinational influence and development in a post-war economy
This paper examines the rich mineral and energy resources of Afghanistan, and argues that resource extraction by multinational interests need not be a source of conflict. Rather, extraction can be an opportunity to foster lasting cooperation and to build peace. Historical cases are used for analysis and comparison to current projects, including a copper mine and a natural gas pipeline. Many lessons can be gleaned from these cases, and the authors conclude with policy recommendations to move these projects forward efficently and equitably, and to take full advantage of opportunities for development and regional cooperation. To access this paper, please click here.
Fences, Walls and Borders: State of Insecurity? Conference report by Anna Grichting
Co-Organized by the Raoul Danduran Chair of Strategic and Diplomatic Studies of the University of Quebec in Montreal and the Association for Borderland Studies (ABS) the conference on “Walls, Borders, Fences: States of Insecurity” opened with the question? “Do good fences still make good neighbors”? Download full report here
Science and Spatial Security: Building Peace Through Environmental Conservation in Southeastern Europe
Written by IEDS Director Dr. Saleem Ali and Dr. Mary Watzin, Dean of the RSENR at UVM, "Spatial Security" is a transdisciplinary paper addressing linked issues of security and environmental management in the Balkans. The fall of the iron curtain led to a redefinition of borders and a realignment of security in spatial terms. Within this region, the trans- boundary politics surrounding Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa in the Balkan peninsula were examined to see how natural resource scarcity, environmental impairment, and environmental security interact. This article suggests that even in highly acrimonious post-conflict settings, there is clear potential for ecological cooperation.
Transitioning Land Tenure in Scotland: A Comparative Study of Public, Private and Community Arrangements
Land tenure arrangements have been the focus of many struggles to achieve sustainable development in rural communities and are often at the core of contemporary politics in developing countries. Scotland provides an unusual contemporary case of transition from a feudal aristocracy to a more equitable land-use and ownership regimen in a developed country. The findings of the study show that a creative combination of ownership and/or management regimes, rather than either private or public ownership, is most effective. Further research could analyze these cases over time to draw quantitative comparisons to help other communities in transition.
To read more, click here....
Environmental Stewardship in Gemstone Mining: Quo Vadis?
Gemstones and the environment share an intrinsic relationship. Gemstones themselves are a product of temporary geological conditions and environments. They can be found on earth’s seven continents. They can be found in primary or secondary deposits, at the bottom of seas and on the top of mountains. The combinations of magmatism, metamorphism, and sedimentation have given us the treasures that we, for millennia, have valued as gems.
This publication in a leading industry journal, InColor, by IEDS Scholar Laurent Cartier considers ways of improving social and environmental resposibility in the colored gemstone sector.
Evaluating the Effects of Ideology on Public Understanding of Climate Change Science: How to Improve Communication Across Ideological Divides?
While ideology can have a strong effect on citizen understanding of science, it is unclear how ideology interacts with other complicating factors. The focus of this paper by Dr. Asim Zia and Dr. Anne Marie Todd is public understanding of climate change science, and data is drawn from a survey undertaken in California to test the effects of ideology and other socio-demographic variables on citizen concern about global warming, terrorism, the economy, health care and poverty.
Transboundary Conservation and Conflict Resolution: Lessons from projects commissioned by the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO)
Since 1990, The International Tropical Timber Organization has been involved in several conservation projects, which broadly include the following ecoregions: Borneo rainforest (Indonesia, Malaysia); Central African rainforest (Gabon, Cameroon, Republic of Congo); Southeast Asian forest (Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam) and the Andean rainforest (Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia). This report provides an evaluation of these projects in terms of their potential for peace-building, which has been a stated goal alongside conservation. Download report by clicking here.
Transboundary Protected Areas Cooperation in the East Carpathian and Carpathian Biosphere Reserves
"Transboundary Protected Areas Cooperation in the East Carpathian and Carpathian Biosphere Reserves", (2008) presents research and recommendations intended to facilitate more effective transboundary cooperation, and was commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund's Danube Carpathian Office (WWF-DCPO), under its program entitled "Protection and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources in the Ukrainian Carpathians."
Property Rights and Conflict Minerals
This issues brief was prepared for the US Agency for International Development on the role property rights can play in preventing the flow of conflict minerals. The project was under a subcontract from Tetra Tech ARD and led by Dr. Mark Freudenberger. Although many mineral-rich countries such as Botswana and Chile have prospered with democratic institutions, there appears to be a clear linkage between the prevalence of easily ”loot-able minerals” and the perpetuation of a conflict. Disrupting the linkage between mineral economies and violence requires a multifaceted strategy that curtails the flow of illegal revenues from mining areas as well as provides the opportunity to provide secure livelihoods opportunities for these communities. Download Case Here...