Animals in the International Law of Armed Conflict

Description

Animals are the unknown victims of armed conflicts. Wildlife populations usually decline during warfare, with disastrous repercussions on the food chain, on fragile ecosystems and precarious habitats. Belligerents take advantage of the chaos of war for poaching and trafficking of animal products. Livestock, companion, and zoo animals, highly dependent on human care, are direct victims of hostilities. The book is the first legal analysis of these issues. It maps the framework of international humanitarian law, examining which and how the concepts, principles, and rationales can be applied and adapted for a better protection of animals. The contributions inter alia discuss precautions for animal civilians, problems of animal combatants and prisoners, a specific status for veterinarian personnel, the recognition of biodiversity hotspots as specially protected zones, and the potential of enforcement mechanisms. The concluding chapter draws together novel interpretations and reform proposals.

Anne Peters is Director at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, Heidelberg. She is a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration and an associate member of the Institut de Droit International. She is currently President of the German Society of International Law and a past President of the European Society of International Law. Jerome de Hemptinne is a lecturer in International Humanitarian Law and International Criminal Law at the Universities of Utrecht and Louvain. He also teaches at Sciences-Po, and Lille Catholic University. He has previously worked at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, the Office of Legal Counsel of the United Nations, and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Robert Kolb is Professor of Public International Law at the University of Geneva. He has worked as legal advisor for the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.