Biography
Richard organises the Marjan centre’s research concerning armed conflict and the environment, utilising what is termed a ‘war-first’ approach which seeks to use the wider understanding of armed conflict and insecurity to identify the role that a loss of wildlife and biodiversity can have in contributing to insecurity and making the case for the importance and utility of environmental protection to those in the development and armed conflict space.
Richard completed his PhD within the Department of War Studies, researching the links between wildlife conservation, security, peacebuilding and development, conducting fieldwork in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
He acts as the UK representative of the Pole Pole Foundation, a multi-award winning Congolese conservation charity based in Bukavu, and is Director of Research for the Marjan Centre, a research group within the department. Richard is also co-founder of a Social Enterprise, Tunza Games, which uses gamification to engage people in conservation and raise funds to support conservation projects around the world.
Research Interests
- Conservation, security and development
- Biodiversity loss and armed conflict
- Postwar recovery
- The Illegal Wildlife Trade
- Strategic Wildlife Protection (SWIPRO)
- Military organisations and the Illegal Wildlife Trade
- Sustainable development
- Climate change
- Environmental Security
Recent Publications
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Milburn, R. (2012) ‘Mainstreaming the environment into postwar recovery: the case for ‘ecological development’’, International Affairs, 88:5, p. 1083-1100
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Milburn, R. (2014) ‘The roots to peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo: conservation as a platform for green development’, International Affairs, 90:4, pg 871-887
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Milburn, R. (2015) ‘Gorillas and Guerrillas: environment and conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo’, in Brisman, A, South, N. and White, R. (eds) Environmental Crime and Social Conflict: Contemporary and Emerging Issues’, Ashgate, Publishing Ltd, Farnham, UK, p. 57-74
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Chevallier, R. and Milburn, R. (2015) ‘Increasing the Economic Value and Contribution of Protected Areas in Africa’, Policy Briefing 125, Governance of Africa’s Resources Programme, South African Institute of International Affairs, Johannesburg, South Africa.