Economics of landmines and demining

• Main Authors: Kara, Hamdi, Gebrehiwot, Etsay
• Other Authors: Henderson, David R.
• Published: Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School 2012
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10945/10440

Approved for public release, distribution unlimited === MBA Professional Report === Landmines threaten human lives and the welfare of mine-affected countries. They cause an economic burden both by destroying lives and by limiting the valuable use of land. Landmines remain dangerous for decades after they are deployed, killing or injuring civilians and rendering land impassable and unusable. Historically, studies of the impact of landmines mostly focused on safety issues and the risk of injuries and deaths. More recently, it has become obvious that landmines can interfere with the overall economic development of mine-affected nations. In reaction to the problems posed by landmines, the world community has responded with attempts to tackle the problem of landmines. A newly formed "mine action" industry has grown rapidly in the last decade. Mine-affected countries, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and donor countries are among those supporting mine action programs to alleviate suffering and assist in the reconstruction of mineaffected nations. There are many ways to reduce the impact of landmines, but the most common practice is demining. Demining is quite dangerous and expensive to implement and involves many complex challenges. It utilizes scarce resources including time, manpower, and money. Furthermore, in many countries landmines are so widespread that completely demining affected areas would create an enormous economic burden. This study attempts to identify and evaluate alternative approaches to demining in order to provide recommendations on the most cost-effective options for a country to make the best use of its scarce resources to guarantee civilian safety and promote economic development.