Rolain Borel

Dr. Rolain Borel heads the Department of Environment, Peace and Security at UPEACE and he coordinates the following MA programs: Natural Resources and Sustainable Development (since 2002, dual program with American University in Washington DC); Environmental Security and Peace (since 2005) and Natural Resources and Peace (since 2006).
Dr. Borel has been working for UPEACE for the past 21 years, first as a volunteer, implementing research and training activities in environmental conflict management and as an international consultant for bilateral cooperation agencies and since 2001 as a full time faculty. Born and raised in Switzerland, Dr. Borel is married and father of three (and proud grand father of one); he has made Costa Rica his residence home for the past 30 years.
Education and Qualifications

• Swiss Federal Institute of Technology - Agronomist (1971)
• Inter-American Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Costa Rica - MSc, Livestock Production (1974)
• Swiss Federal Institute of Technology - Doctor of Technical Sciences, Forage Agronomy (1976)

Work Experience

• University for Peace, Ciudad Colón, Costa Rica. Professor, Natural Resources. Since 1988. Designing and teaching several international short courses in agroforestry and conflict management and their relations to the promotion of peace. Research on socio-environmental conflicts management strategies by local communities and environmental institutions. Director of the Master's program “ECOLOGY for PEACEâ€� (1991-1993). From 1999 to 2005, project leader "Conflict and collaboration in the Management of Natural Resources in Latin America and Caribbean: a small grant programme" (IDRC funded).
• CATIE, Costa Rica. Head Agroforestry Program, 1983-1988. Coordinating a research and teaching team of 10 scientists, conducting research in basic and applied problems of tree/crop interactions. Organizing and coordinating postgraduate and international short courses.
• CATIE, Costa Rica. Forage Agronomist, 1980-1983. Conducting research on native pastures and forage legumes management under grazing, and on forage legume physiology. Teaching at the postgraduate level and advising participants.
• ILCA, Ethiopia and Nigeria. Forage Agronomist, 1976-1980. Participating to the design, establishment and evaluation of improved grain-milk production systems in the Ethiopian Highlands. Setting up 2 field stations for the study of small ruminants in Southern Nigeria. Establishing shrub and grass species grazing trials as support to the ongoing farming systems research.

Courses/Subjects Taught

• Environmental conflict management
• System thinking
• Disaster Risk Management at the Local Level
• Environmental Ethics
• Strategic Planning and Project Cycle

Topics of Research Interests

• Transformation of environmental conflicts
• Roles of external cooperation in community development
• Risk reduction at the local level
• Roles of local communities in natural resources management

Consultancy Work (1988-2003)

• Long-term project monitoring and continuous advisory role
• Group facilitation: moderator of several strategic and operational planning meetings, using at times elements of the ZOPP methodology
• Project design and evaluation: Design and evaluation of national programs of natural resources conservation as well as agroforestry and social forestry development projects
• Mediation

Publications

• BOREL R. 2009. Peace Parks: Conservation and Conflict Resolution. Invited book review of: Ali, S.H. (Ed.) 2007. The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA. Environmental Change and Security Program Report. Issue 13, 2008-2009. Pp. 110-112.
• BOREL R., ABU-NIMER M. & McCANDLESS E. 2006. Editorial. Environment and Natural Resource-Related Conflicts: Moving Towards Transformational Approaches. Journal of Peacebuilding and Development, Vol 3, Number 1. Pp. 1-5
• BOREL R. 2005. Conflictos ambientales en América Latina. Una reflexión en el camino. In HD Correa & I Rodríguez I (editores). Encrucijadas Ambientales en América Latina. Experiencias en marcha entre el conflicto y la colaboración. Universidad para la Paz, San José, Costa Rica. Pp. 1-5.
• BOREL R. 2005. Extensión y tensión: una reflexión final sobre la innovación rural, concebida como un proceso de interacción y transacción. In C. Prins (editor) Procesos de innovación rural en América Latina: reflexiones y aprendizajes. CATIE, Turrialba, Costa Rica. pp. 238-244.
• BOREL R. & DE CAMINO R. 2002. Formación de recursos humanos en el tema de la seguridad ambiental. Revista Forestal Centroamericana. Número 38, Foro.
• BOREL R.. & PANIAGUA, F. 2000. Capacitación en Manejo de Conflictos Ambientales. Experiencias de la Red de Manejo de Conflictos Socioambientales de Mesoamérica, en Costa Rica. In V. López (ed.) Conflictos socioambientales: desafíos y propuestas para la gestión en américa latina. Memoria. FTPP-Redes. Ecudador.
• BOREL, R., GIROT, P. & FONSECA, M. 1999. Conflictos socio-ambientales en América Latina. Un intento de tipología, cartografía y análisis cruzado. Universidad para la Paz & Red Mesoamericana de Manejo Colaborativo de Conflictos Socio-ambientales. San Jose, 67 p.
• BOREL, R. & T. ROBERTSON. 1998. Regional Networking, Research and Training Experiences in Environmental Conflict Management in Mesoamerica: overview and lessons learned. Paper presented at: The Seventh Common Property Conference of the International Association for the Study of Common Property. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada 10-14 June, 1998

Responsibilities at UPEACE

• Professor
• Head, Department of Environment, Peace and Security