Transboundary areas rich in biodiversity are often affected by armed conflict, and require environmental peacebuilding for effective governance. Engaging youth in transboundary conservation in conflict-affected areas is critical to implementing conservation initiatives that have an increased chance of long-term effectiveness. The session ‘Youth Breaking Walls: Advancing Transboundary Conservation in Conflict-Affected Regions’, held during the IUCN World Conservation Congress in October 2025, presented evidence-backed strategies to centre local youth in transboundary conservation.

Expert panelists argued that when employment opportunities are scarce, young people are often compelled to earn a living through membership in armed forces or paramilitary organizations. Creating job opportunities in transboundary conservation provides alternative livelihoods for young people, building capacity, preventing emigration and harnessing their potential to build peace rather than contribute to conflict. Employment or membership in conservation organizations however, often has an age barrier or requires levels of education difficult to attain in conflict settings. To overcome this, practitioners must create paths to engagement regardless of age or educational attainment.

Participants argued that narratives of coexistence, conflict and environmental damage shape people’s perspectives and their willingness to participate in peacebuilding. Shared narratives of environmental harm, comprising different stories from both sides, frame conflict as mutually destructive and create a shared language of peacebuilding. Social media, citizen science tools and remote sensing can allow young people and independent observers in conflict-affected areas to collect evidence and shape public narratives. However, allegations of environmental damage can also be used as a weapon. Narratives about the extent of and responsibility for harm can be disputed, and verification can be difficult because of a lack of access as a result of security threats. Increased visibility via social media can create risks for young people, facilitating online and physical targeting. Conservationists must therefore support young people with accessible education, and training on data collection, reporting and digital security.

Participants emphasized that practitioners of transboundary conservation in conflict-affected regions must go beyond simply acknowledging the importance of young people as conservationists and peacebuilders. They must work to employ and include them in conservation initiatives, removing barriers such as age and educational attainment requirements. Conservationists must build young people’s capacity in data collection, reporting and digital security, encouraging leadership and providing a neutral space for peer-to-peer exchange among young people from different conflict-affected areas.