Introduction

Protection of the environment and natural resources is a key element in the transition from armed conflict to peace. Most academic studies have focused on classical peacetime or conflict situations. The United Nations Environmental Programme (‘UNEP’) qualified the environment as a ‘silent casualty’ of armed conflict. Exploring the protection of the environment in the aftermath of armed conflict and its relationship to sustainable peace is a relatively novel perspective. This chapter establishes the relationship between jus post bellum and environmental protection. It suggests that jus post bellum (1) provides a lens to view environmental protection as continuum throughout cycles of conflict or conflict transformations; (2) strengthens the argument that concerns of environmental protection are not set aside by armed conflict but relevant throughout conflict and its aftermath; (3) strengthens the case for due diligence of actors beyond armed conflict; and (4) allows a differentiated look at the treatment of harm and remedies.