Threats to conservation from national security interests

National security interests increasingly override environmental protections, jeopardizing conservation efforts at UNESCO World Heritage Sites and other protected areas. Decades-long multinational programs for endangered species recovery face disruption due to waived environmental laws enabling rapid border infrastructure development, such as barriers that impede animal migration. Similarly, renewable energy megaprojects like Mexico's Pinacate solar plant proceed with minimal environmental compliance under national security justifications, while sovereign rights are invoked to bypass legal safeguards—examples include Mexico's Dos Bocas refinery and Poland's Vistula Spit canal. This shift undermines democratic principles, trivializes ecosystem dependencies, and contradicts international agreements on human health and environmental rights. Military expenditure growth outpaces environmental policy improvements, further straining conservation efforts while dissenters, including scientists, are marginalized as antinational.

Nowak, K., Bear, D., Dutta, A., Traphagen, M., Żmihorski, M., & Jaroszewicz, B. (2023). Threats to conservation from national security interests. Conservation Biology, 38(1). Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.14193