Miraculous as it may seem, it was not the hand of God that helped save Ukraine. “This is WarWilding,” says Jasper Humphreys, director of programs for the Marjan Study Group in the war studies department at King’s College London, which researches conflict and the environment. Since Ukrainian forces breached the dam to re-flood the Irpin River, irrigation canals near the town of Rakivka have overflowed “I woke up in the middle of the night, a few days after reading the ‘hero river’ story in the Guardian about how the Ukrainian army re-flooded the dying Irpin River and its former wetlands to save the Ukrainian capital,” says the academic. about how he found the word. “And I just sat on the bed and whispered to myself, ‘It’s WarWilding.’ Humphreys coined the term to describe “the creation or even sometimes destruction of habitat as a result of the tactical manipulation of nature.” Or, to put it more simply, “using nature in war”. The second W is capitalized to emphasize the importance of wilding, he says. “The tactical objective of the Ukrainian military was to use nature to stop the war, and the result was positive because the Russian advance was stopped by burning more land and water in the process, so it is a classic war wild event of historic proportions.” A section of Irpin between the villages of Moschun and Rakivka, which conservationists see as a key area for wetland restoration While warWilding is a neologism, the strategic and tactical use of nature is as old as warfare itself, Humphreys says, adding that the results may not always be positive. “Unfortunately, WarWilding has a dark side. Saddam Hussein’s tactical manipulation of nature, for example, led to the draining of marshes in central Iraq and [ethnic] cleansing of the Ma’dan, or Arabs of the Marsh.” WarWildings are unpredictable beasts, but if the strategic motivations are creative, there are opportunities to save the wilderness Jasper Humphreys He adds: “WarWildings are unpredictable beasts by nature, but if the strategic motivations are creative rather than destructive, then WarWildings host great opportunities to save large areas of wilderness, while creating buffer zones in conflict areas and sowing long-term peace ». The Ukrainian army’s flooding of the Irpin River created the perfect conditions for a successful Wilding war legacy, Humphreys says. “The flooding of the Irpin River was a tactical war of momentous proportions as it helped save the Ukrainian state, but in post-war Ukraine it could also become a unique biodiversity hotspot by reviving a once mighty river and tens of thousands of hectares of long-lost wetlands ». A Eurasian tern leads her chicks to the Irpin River Humphreys cites Gorongosa Park in Mozambique as an example of successful warWilding. “Ninety percent of [the park’s] Wildlife was decimated by the civil war, but thanks to concerted efforts and investment at multiple levels, the decimated elephant and lion populations rebounded and the principle of using nature to prevent conflict was recognized with Gorongosa being established as a ‘park for peace’. “Similarly, a restored ecosystem of the Irpin River would be a monument to one of the most legendary Wildings in history, a biodiversity hotspot with safaris for tourists and a wilderness barrier that has protected Kyiv from invaders for hundreds of years,” he says Humphreys. American conservation biologist Thor Hanson, an expert on how wars affect the environment, says the use of warWilding as a new term sounds “catchy”. “It’s not my term to define, but it could be useful in explaining some of the environmental consequences of warfare,” says Hanson, co-author of the 2008 paper Warfare Ecology. A rusted Russian mechanical vehicle lies abandoned near Rakivka, where Ukrainian troops attacked and blocked a boat crossing “There are also significant ‘wild’ tendencies that can occur during preparations for war, particularly in the large tracts of land set aside for troop training and weapons testing. These are not necessarily intended effects. they have to do with suspending most human activities over large areas of land,” says Hanson. “It is less clear to me whether the term warWilding would be useful in such situations, which may occur far outside the context of wars themselves. From the perspective of war ecology, I consider this term to be relevant to the renewal of habitat that can occur as a consequence of war. This could be regular, such as the deliberate flooding of the Irpin River, but more often it is unintentional, the product of dramatic changes in human behavior and land use caused by conflict. Regeneration of abandoned agricultural land, for example, or interruption of extractive activities such as commercial fishing, forestry or hunting.’ A Russian soldier’s discarded towel is seen rotting next to Irpin Referring to the Irpin River, Hanson suggests preserving at least some of the re-flooded areas of the former wetland to promote “environmental peace-building” in post-war Ukraine. “Disputed border areas often become buffer zones that can help reduce conflict by reducing contact between attackers,” he says. “Reduced human activity in such areas can lead to the recovery of the habitat and associated wildlife. The classic modern example of this is the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, but there are many other instances in history… Including environmental considerations in peacebuilding efforts can provide tangible benefits to both sides of a conflict (water quality, wildlife reservoirs, flood control ) while reducing tensions while removing the conflict over disputed territory. “I don’t know all the specifics of the Irpin situation, but it’s conceivable that leaving at least some of that flooded land as permanent wetlands could accomplish those goals. Strategically, permanent, impassable wetlands can also alter potential routes for future attacks, an example of where military and environmental planning overlap.” Craters formed by Russian shells are scattered in the flood plains of Irpin between the villages of Moschun and Rakivka While the two academics may not yet fully agree on the full definition of WarWilding, both say that due to the climate emergency, the continued plunder of natural resources and the rapid destruction of vital ecosystems, WarWilding is likely to become more common. “There is a strong historical pattern of increasing conflict in times of climate stress, so we expect to see rising tensions as the climate crisis unfolds. This will certainly set the stage for warWilding events, regular and incidental,” says Hanson. Policy makers, scientists and conservationists should be alert to opportunities where wilding can promote peace and security, through the creation of transboundary peace parks and buffer zones, and the long-term social and political stability associated with with a healthy environment. Humphreys, who commissioned the Ukrainian Nature Conservancy to conduct a study of the ecological status of the area, suggests that the Irpin River should, like Gorongosa, become a peace park. The remains of a Russian tank machine next to Irpin in Rakivka “Sometimes, rewilding is not enough on its own, but warWilding can create the perfect conditions for this on a large scale, and we need to seize these opportunities during wartime and in post-conflict phases,” he says. “I see a future in which Irpin teems with wildlife once again, with water buffalo rolling through impenetrable swamps, lynx stalking deep in the thick undergrowth and white-tailed eagles soaring above.” Find more coverage of Age of Extinction here and follow biodiversity reporters Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield on Twitter for all the latest news and features
