Despite good relations between Nepal and India, the border between the two nations has proven to be a point of contention over the years. While an Indian envoy to Nepal recently stated that the border issues between these two nations are almost resolved, border experts on the Nepali side are not satisfied with the current state of affairs. Buddi Narayan Shrestha, an expert on Nepal border issues, claims that the existing four-tier bureaucratic structure currently employed by both nations is faulty, and a new framework is necessary for long-term peace along the border area. He argues that both nations should build the foundation of border management by getting local communities, civic leaders and other non-traditional stakeholders from both sides involved in the discourse and decision-making process. Although this may sound absurd to many readers and policy makers, recent scholarly literature links environmental conservation with peace and development, suggesting that a certain synergy between these fields could provide a basis for ‘ecological diplomacy’ where political and economic diplomacy have failed to work.

Ecological diplomacy

During Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai’s acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, she said, “I believe the Nobel committee was sending a message that protecting and restoring the environment contributes to peace; it is peace work... I always felt that our work was not simply about planting trees. It was about inspiring people to take charge of their environment, the system that governed them, their lives, and their future.” The Selous-Niassa Wildlife Corridor between Tanzania and Mozambique as well as the Emerald Triangle conservation zone in Indochina are successful examples of trans-boundary ‘peace parks,’ shared zones that is accessible to members of both the neighbouring countries. These kinds of peace parks could prove to be a useful tool in finding a constructive solution to the border disputes between India and Nepal as well. Saleem H. Ali, a renowned environmental planner, presents peace parks not necessarily as a panacea, but as an important contribution towards a more sustainable conservation as well as for international relations. Professor Ali believes that we can create a positive dynamic by using ecological diplomacy to achieve two desirable goals at the same time—conservation and peace.

Peace parks provide a space where shared sovereignty of the environment, can set the stage for cooperation in other trickier areas such as competition for economic resources. Scientific research and sustainable border management present opportunities for cooperation since territorial sovereignty can be difficult to negotiate and has caused innumerable conflicts throughout history. Trans-boundary peace parks focus on sharing a physical space and management responsibilities to help build sustainable peace among the countries. The governments, civil societies, scientific communities, and conservationists from both the sides have the opportunity to forge a consensus and confidence as well as create benchmarks for sustainable relations in the future. In an era when the world has to tackle the twin challenges of sustainable peace and sustainable development simultaneously, environmental scientists can be bottom-up educators who use science to create peace.

Bottom-up approach

Poverty, which is mainly the outcome of insurgency and political instability in both India and Nepal, has caused rapid deterioration of natural resources in both countries. According to Shrestha, the no-man’s-land along the Nepal-India border has been encroached in 60 different points by India and 42 different points by Nepal. Further, he claims that 1,325 border pillars between these two nations have gone missing, and the task of replacing them based on the antiquated, British India-era Suguali Treaty is an uphill task. While both the Indian and Nepali governments have initiated much-needed efforts to resolve border issues, they should take it one step further and go for a bottom-up approach, as Tanzania and Mozambique did when they co-founded the Selous-Niassa Wildlife Corridor. Both India and Nepal could benefit from a reformed border policy empowered by efforts from the local communities, environmental experts, and other stakeholders from both the sides. A trans-boundary peace park would not only provide a sustainable mechanism for managing the border and its surrounding environment, but could also improve the overall livelihood of the surrounding populations.

An environmental conservation initiative such as this would not be a new phenomenon in Nepal. Nepal has a proven history of successful community forest management in its hills. These efforts have supported conservation of natural resources and at the same time supported the livelihood of poor Nepalis that live in the region. Similar efforts have been implemented in India with positive results. Because of their proven track records in environmental conservation and management, now could be the right time for both nations to forge an ecological partnership and start a movement for sustainable development along the contested transnational border.

Oser and Adhikari both hold a degree in conflict resolution and mediation from Tel Aviv University