Rugged terrain, forest coverage, and insurgency in Myanmar

Wilfred Chow and Enze Han
Additional contact information
Wilfred Chow: Department of Politics and Public Administration, 25809The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Enze Han: Department of Politics and Public Administration, 25809The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Conflict Management and Peace Science, 2024, vol. 41, issue 3, 218-237

Abstract: This paper examines whether non-monotonic patterns exist between forest coverage and conflict processes in Myanmar. Specifically, the paper finds that forest coverage and civil conflict follow an inverted U-shaped relationship: conflict decreases at extremely low and high densities of forest coverage but increases at medium and somewhat high forest densities. Following the logic of the variability of rugged terrain, we argue that this pattern reflects the dual mechanisms of refuge and tactical advantages for rebel groups, who intentionally use such terrain to maximize logistical advantage while minimizing the military advantages enjoyed by better equipped government forces.

Keywords: Civil conflict; forest coverage; Myanmar; rugged terrain; Southeast Asia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/07388942231171334 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:compsc:v:41:y:2024:i:3:p:218-237

DOI: 10.1177/07388942231171334

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Conflict Management and Peace Science from Peace Science Society (International)
Bibliographic data for series maintained by SAGE Publications ().