Alec Crawford is a Senior Policy Advisor and Lead, ECP with both IISD's Resilience and Economic Law and Policy programs. Since joining IISD in 2004, his work has focused on mining governance, climate change adaptation, and the links among environmental change, natural resources, conflict and peacebuilding.
Within the Resilience team, Alec leads the IISD's work on Environment, Conflict and Peacebuilding. This work has included extensive research and training on issues including conflict-sensitive conservation, climate change and security, and greening peacekeeping operations. He also works extensively on climate change adaptation, including leading IISD’s work to support National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes in the Caribbean region through the NAP Global Network.
Within the Economic Law and Policy Program, Alec works with the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF) to better understand how countries can optimize the contribution that the mining sector can make to sustainable development. This has included extensive work with IGF member states to assess domestic mining laws and policies, the development of guidance for governments in the management of artisanal and small-scale mining, and the design and delivery of demand-driven training programs.
Alec has a Master of Environment and Development from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University. He speaks English and French, and is based in Toronto, Canada.
All Publications
- Toolkit for Engaging the Private Sector in National Adaptation Plans (NAPs)
Report - July 9, 2020
This toolkit aims to help governments develop strategies for the effective engagement of private sector actors in the NAP process. - IGF Mining Policy Framework Assessment: Jamaica
Report - June 12, 2020
This report first presents Jamaica’s development, mining, and legal contexts. It then highlights the key strengths and gaps in Jamaica’s mining policies and laws across six thematic areas before making recommendations for further capacity building and reform. - The Environmental Consequences of COVID-19 in Fragile States
Blog - June 9, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic could have severe impacts on the environment in fragile states, compounding the challenges faced by their governments and their populations. But it doesn’t have to be that way. - The NAP Process and Peacebuilding
Briefing Note - February 18, 2020
This briefing note explores the importance and difficulties of bringing adaptation planning and peacebuilding agendas together in contexts of fragility and instability. It will also highlight some of the countries that have already begun to integrate conflict considerations into their adaptation planning processes. - When Life Gives You Lemons: How to bolster businesses’ capacity for making lemonade out of a changing climate
Blog - July 3, 2019
Lemonade is the perfect drink for a hot summer day. And while it can help us beat the summer heat, soaring temperatures in many parts of the world could threaten the future of the core ingredient needed for this beloved summer fixture. - How Institutional Arrangements Can Engage Small Businesses in Climate Adaptation
Blog - June 27, 2019
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises need a supportive environment of institutional, legal and policy frameworks to adapt to climate change. - Paying For It: How governments can help the private sector overcome financial barriers to investing in adaptation
Blog - June 18, 2019
Private sector engagement will be essential to the success of the NAP process, whether through direct financing or active participation in adaptation actions. Governments can play a key role in enabling this private sector engagement by promoting a number of enabling factors. - Why Information Sharing is Key to Engaging Businesses in the NAP Process
Blog - June 18, 2019
Private sector engagement in climate change adaptation will be necessary for countries, communities and individuals to meet the climate crisis. - Five Ways to Promote Mitigation and Adaptation in the Mining Sector
Blog - June 5, 2019
In the face of the climate crisis, there is an urgent need for the mining sector to adapt to the impacts of climate change. - What is the Business Case for Private Investment in the NAP Process?
Blog - May 29, 2019
Businesses around the world—big and small, from large-scale banks to smallholder farmers—invest in climate change adaptation every day.They may not... - Managing the Trade-Offs of Transformation Through Foreign Policy
Policy Brief - April 30, 2019
This climate diplomacy essay aims to inspire actors around the world to work together to initiate, manage and monitor the necessary changes needed for a sustainable world. - Engaging the Private Sector in National Adaptation Planning Processes
Report - April 16, 2019
This study aims to offer guidance to governments and their partners on how to engage the private sector in the NAP process. - IGF Mining Policy Framework Assessment: Kyrgyzstan
Report - December 17, 2018
This report presents the mining policy framework (MPF) assessment for Kyrgyzstan, with a view to helping the government target its efforts in implementing the MPF. - IGF Mining Policy Framework Assessment: Namibia
Report - September 12, 2018
An assessment of Namibia's mining law and policies, conducted by the IGF at the request of the Government of Namibia and in collaboration with the Ministry of Mines and Energy. - Green Conflict Minerals: The fuels of conflict in the transition to a low-carbon economy
Report - August 14, 2018
This reports seeks to understand how the transition to a low-carbon economy—and the minerals and metals required to make that shift—could affect fragility, conflict and violence dynamics in mineral-rich states. - Innovation in Mining: Report to the 2018 International Mines Ministers Summit
Report - March 15, 2018
This report highlights the pressing need for innovation in the mining sector, as productivity has decreased by 30 per cent, commodity price fluctuations are squeezing profit margins and costs continue to rise. - Conflict-Sensitive Conservation in the Maiko–Tayna–Kahuzi–Biega Landscape: Conflict analysis
Report - December 8, 2017
This conflict analysis provides guidance for advancing conflict-sensitive conservation in the Maiko–Tayna–Kahuzi–Biega landscape. - Digging Out of Conflict: Can Artisanal Mining Support Peacebuilding?
Blog - September 29, 2017
We sit down with Alec Crawford to talk about the relationship between conflict and the artisanal mining sector, and to see if there are opportunities for it to operate alongside peacebuilding efforts. - Conserving Biological Hotspots in Conflict-Affected Democratic Republic of Congo
Blog - September 26, 2017
Maiko National Park, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, is so remote that the park’s northern edge can only be reached by a seven-day walk through thick, inhospitable forest. - IGF Mining Policy Framework Assessment: Mauritania
Report - August 23, 2017
An IGF Mining Policy Framework assessment of Mauritania's mining law and policies conducted at the request of the Government of Mauritania and in collaboration with the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy and Mines. - Managing ASM: IGF Regional Workshop for Africa
Report - August 10, 2017
A consortium of East African countries requested training on how to implement the IGF Guidance for Governments: Managing Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining. The workshop sought to enhance the capacities of government representatives from 14 African countries, create opportunities for knowledge sharing and establish a community of practice. - IGF Mining Policy Framework Assessment: Suriname
Report - May 23, 2017
An assessment of Suriname’s readiness and capacity to implement the Mining Policy Framework (MPF) of the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF). - IGF Guidance for Governments: Managing artisanal and small-scale mining
Report - January 18, 2017
This guidance document presents a step-by-step process for governments to develop, implement and monitor an effective artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) management strategy. - IISD Perspectives on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Commentary - July 20, 2016
As the Sustainable Development Goals were in the final hours of negotiation in 2015, and in the early days of implementation in 2016, IISD experts reflected on the implications for countries, the UN system, and our own programs of work. These articles, first published as a series of blog postings, are the outward expression of that thought process. - IGF Mining Policy Framework Assessment: Senegal
Report - December 12, 2016
This assessment assesses the mining laws and policies of Senegal, and the country’s capacity to implement the IGF's Mining Policy Framework (MPF), to ensure that the mining sector contributes to the country's sustainable development. - Review of Current and Planned Adaptation Action in Namibia
Report - August 28, 2016
This report summarizes the climate risks and vulnerable sectors in Namibia, and examines the country’s efforts to implement climate change adaptation policies and initiatives at the national and sub-national levels. - Review of Current and Planned Adaptation Action in Botswana
Report - August 28, 2016
This report summarizes the climate risks and vulnerable sectors in Botswana, providing a snapshot of the country’s efforts to implement climate change adaptation policies and initiatives at the national and sub-national levels. - Review of Current and Planned Adaptation Action in Uganda
Report - August 28, 2016
This report summarizes the climate risks and vulnerable sectors in Uganda, providing an overview of its current and upcoming efforts to implement climate change adaptation policies and initiatives at the national and sub-national levels. - Review of Current and Planned Adaptation Action in Tanzania
Report - August 28, 2016
This report summarizes the climate risks and vulnerable sectors in Tanzania, providing an overview of climate change adaptation policies and initiatives introduced in response at the national and sub-national levels. - Review of Current and Planned Adaptation Action in Burkina Faso
Report - August 28, 2016
This report summarizes the climate risks and vulnerable sectors in Burkina Faso, providing an overview of adaptation policies and initiatives introduced in response at the national and sub-national levels. - Migration and Conservation: A toolkit for conservation and development practitioners
Toolkit - February 11, 2016
This toolkit helps conservation practitioners assess the impacts of human migration on critical ecosystems. - How Should Conservation Actors Approach Migration?
Blog - February 12, 2016
Migration has always been an important strategy for coping with variability and change in Africa’s Great Lakes region. - Migration and Conservation in the Misotshi-Kabogo Ecosystem
Report - January 25, 2016
Human migration is playing a significant role in driving land conversion and sustaining the overexploitation of key natural resources in the... - Human Migration and Ecosystems: Insights from the Great Lakes Region of East and Central Africa
Report - January 25, 2016
For centuries, people in east and central Africa have used migration as a strategy to respond to shocks, sustain livelihoods and adapt to changes... - Climate Change Intensifies the Refugee Crisis
Blog - November 17, 2015
The refugee crisis unfolding across Europe’s borders is a long-term challenge without easy fixes.Crisis management is certainly top priority, but... - The Mining Policy Framework: Assessing the implementation readiness of member states of the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development
Paper - October 29, 2015
This report synthesizes some of the key findings from the assessments and the capacity-building workshops with the Dominican Republic, Uganda and Madagascar to help them operationalize practices consistent with the Mining Policy Framework. - Climate Change, Conflict, and the Sustainable Development Goals
Blog - September 23, 2015
Peace and stability, it has long been recognized, are prerequisites for sustainable development. - Migration and Conservation in the Lake Albert Ecosystem (Policy Brief)
Paper - August 6, 2015
Migration is playing a significant role in the deterioration of the Lake Albert ecosystem in Buliisa District, as migrants, mainly coming from neighbouring provinces in the Democratic Republic of Congo, are pulled to the region by the economic opportunities. - Migration and Conservation in the Lake Albert Ecosystem
Paper - August 12, 2015
Migration is playing a significant role in the deterioration of the Lake Albert ecosystem in Buliisa District, as migrants, mainly coming from neighbouring provinces in the Democratic Republic of Congo, are pulled to the region by the economic opportunities. - Migration and Conservation in the Bale Mountains Ecosystem (Policy Brief)
Paper - August 12, 2015
Human migration is playing a significant role in driving land conversion and sustaining the overexploitation of key natural resources in the Bale Mountains ecosystem, to the detriment of conservation and traditional livelihoods. - Climate Change and State Fragility in the Sahel
Paper - June 2, 2015
Temperatures in the Sahel have risen by nearly 1°C since 1970, at a rate nearly twice the global average. The region faces increasingly variable... - Accessing and Using Climate Data and Information in Fragile, Data-Poor States
Paper - May 13, 2015
The vulnerability of populations in fragile states to weather and climate variability is typically much higher than in other countries. These... - Supporting Implementation of the Mining Policy Framework in Member States of the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development Uganda: Assessment of implementation readiness
Paper - April 22, 2015
The growing demand for non-renewable mineral resources is among the world’s greatest sustainability challenges.But for many countries it can also... - Promoting Climate-Resilient Peacebuilding in Fragile States
Paper - April 9, 2015
Efforts to help fragile states move onto a path toward stability and sustainability continue to face enormous challenges.Climate change is one of... - Rapport d'évaluation de Madagascar
Paper - March 1, 2015
The growing demand for non-renewable mineral resources is among the world’s greatest sustainability challenges.But for many countries it can also... - Migration and Conservation in the Bale Mountains Ecosystem
Paper - August 12, 2015
Human migration is playing a significant role in driving land conversion and sustaining the overexploitation of key natural resources in the Bale Mountains ecosystem, to the detriment of conservation and traditional livelihoods. - CSC Stories: Supporting Community Conservation in Kahuzi Biega National Park
Paper - November 8, 2014
A short profile of work by IISD and the Wildlife Conservation Society to reduce people-park conflicts by strengthening community involvement in... - CSC Stories: Restoring the Lake Edward Fishery in Virunga National Park
Paper - November 8, 2014
A short profile of efforts by IISD and the Wildlife Conservation Society to address the impacts of conflict on the Lake Edward fishery in Virunga... - Conservation and Peacebuilding in Sierra Leone
Paper - February 7, 2012
Conservation is an intensely political exercise and can be heavily contested.It inherently involves limiting or controlling the access to natural... - Conflict-Sensitive Conservation in Gola Rainforest National Park: Workshop Report
Paper - August 31, 2011
This workshop report summarizes a meeting on conflict-sensitive conservation (CSC) which was held in Kenema, Sierra Leone, on August 2, 2011.The... - Healing the Rift: Peacebuilding in and around protected areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Albertine Rift
Paper - December 9, 2010
This report summarizes a 27-month project that piloted a conflict-sensitive approach to conservation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo at... - Battling the Elements: The security threat of climate change
Commentary - December 11, 2009
Addressing climate change is about more than arctic ice and biodiversity. It is becoming increasingly clear that action on our emissions now may... - Climate Change and Conflict: Lessons from community conservancies in northern Kenya
Book - November 26, 2009
This report is based on the findings of research carried out in two community wildlife conservancies in northern Kenya earlier this year. - Give Peace (and the climate) a Chance
Commentary - November 6, 2009
Jordan River basin countries are desperately short of water. Israel, Jordan and Palestine have less than a quarter as much water as the common... - Conflict-Sensitive Conservation: Practitioners' Manual
Book - September 21, 2009
The Albertine Rift is one of the most biodiverse and ecologically unique regions of Africa. Sadly it has also been the site of some of the world's most violent conflicts in recent history. This turbulent context can pose a range of risks and opportunities to conservationists who are managing resources that can be both a seed of conflict and foundation for peace-building. - Rising Temperatures, Rising Tensions: Climate change and the risk of violent conflict in the Middle East
Paper - June 2, 2009
Climate models are predicting a hotter, drier and less predictable climate in the Middle East—a region already considered the world's... - Climate Change and Security in Africa
Paper - April 7, 2009
As science has revealed that the rate and intensity of climate change is increasing at unprecedented levels, we have begun to realize that it holds... - Hope and Change are Far from Reality for Congolese and a Threatened Environment
Commentary - December 10, 2008
In the IISD Commentary, Alec Crawford notes that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is home to one of the world's worst ongoing conflicts. For... - Arctic Sovereignty and Security in a Climate-changing World
Paper - November 26, 2008
Arctic sovereignty is a complicated business. Promises of vast resources and fabled shipping lanes set free by a melting ice pack have triggered a... - Climate change: A new threat to stability in West Africa? Evidence from Ghana and Burkina Faso
Paper - September 24, 2008
Over the past decades, the way we talk about climate change has evolved. Traditionally seen as an environmental and an energy issue, climate change... - Gorillas in the Midst: Assessing the peace and conflict impacts of International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) activities
Paper - August 14, 2008
Conservation work in conflict zones and across international borders has impacts on more than just wildlife populations and their habitats; it can... - The Security Dimensions of Environmental Policy: Canadian defence policy changes along with climate in the suddenly accessible Far North
Commentary - July 11, 2008
IISD Project Officer Alec Crawford discusses how Canada's longstanding concern about Canada's Arctic sovereignty and security are... - Growing Unrest: The links between farmed and fished resources and the risk of conflict
Paper - July 3, 2008
This paper examines the links between the risk of conflict and the production and trade of agricultural and marine commodities. It does so using a... - Environmental Change and the New Security Agenda: Implications for Canada's security and environment
Paper - June 19, 2008
This paper investigates how environmental change and Canadian security are interlinked. First, it attempts to chart the ways in which global... - Assessing the Security Implications of Climate Change for West Africa: Country Case Studies of Ghana and Burkina Faso
Book - March 7, 2008
Traditionally seen as an environmental and an energy issue, climate change is now also being cast as a threat to international peace and security.... - Boom or Bust: How commodity price volatility impedes poverty reduction, and what to do about it
Book - January 8, 2008
Commodity price volatility is a big problem for commodity-dependent countries and producers. With 95 developing countries deriving at least half... - Price Volatility in the Cotton Yarn Industry: Lessons from India
Paper - November 20, 2007
The last in the series of seven case studies examining national responses to the commodity price problem, this paper looks at how India has... - Addressing Land Ownership after Natural Disasters - An Agency Survey
Paper - July 28, 2006
The final results of a survey of humanitarian professionals which gathered opinions and experiences on how best to tackle issues of land ownership... - Growing into risk? Emerging environment and security issues in China
Paper - February 1, 2006
Serious environmental degradation in China is harming public health, increasing migration and triggering social unrest. In addition, the country&... - Natural Disasters and Resource Rights - Building resilience, rebuilding lives
Paper - February 1, 2006
Natural disasters damage and destroy the land, sea and forest resources vital to peoples' livelihoods. Where resource rights are clearly... - Herding on the Brink: Towards a Global Survey of Pastoral Communities and Conflict
Paper - June 23, 2005
An overview of the linkages between pastoralism and conflict, using a sustainable livelihoods conflict analysis. The paper describes the tensions...