Vol. 80 No. 2 (2025)
Forest and Environmental Law - Scientific article

The impact of war on forests: damage, legal framework, and environmental restoration strategies over three years into the war in Ukraine

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  • Valerio Di Stefano
Valerio Di Stefano
CREA - Centro di ricerca Foreste e Legno, Via Valle della Quistione, 27 - 00166 Roma, Italia; valerio.distefano@crea.gov.it Università degli Studi Guglielmo Marconi di Roma, Via Plinio, 44 - 00193 Roma, Italia.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/ifm-1169

Published 2025-07-15

Keywords

  • international and european law,
  • forest protection,
  • war

How to Cite

Di Stefano, V. (2025). The impact of war on forests: damage, legal framework, and environmental restoration strategies over three years into the war in Ukraine. L’Italia Forestale E Montana, 80(2), 95–106. https://doi.org/10.36253/ifm-1169

Copyright (c) 2025 Valerio Di Stefano

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Armed conflicts cause often irreversible damage on environmental and forest heritage, compromising vital ecosystems and essential natural resources. Over the years, both international and European law have developed regulatory frameworks aimed at providing broader and more effective protection for the environment and forests during armed conflicts. However, the effectiveness of these mechanisms is often limited or inadequately implemented. This paper seeks to provide a legal analysis of environmental protection in times of war, with a particular focus on international and European regulatory frameworks. Additionally, it aims to examine the current situation in Ukraine, nearly three years after the onset of the conflict, to assess the environmental and forestry impact of hostilities and the effectiveness of existing protections in a contemporary conflict setting.

PDF (Italiano)

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