Environmental dimensions during and after the Nagorno‐Karabakh conflict of 2020.

This article examines the environmental damage caused by the 44-day war between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020, focusing on two main impacts to the region's biodiverse primary forests: numerous conflict-related landscape fires during the fighting and extensive postconflict development without environmental impact assessments. Using satellite remote sensing and mixed methods, the study confirms that the unusually high number of forest fires was primarily linked to military activity rather than natural causes. Following the conflict, rapid infrastructure projects—including highways, airports, and mining expansions—have proceeded under Azerbaijani control with little transparency or environmental governance. The article highlights how environmental harm has been entangled in the conflict's information warfare and suggests that despite shared cultural ties to the landscape, environmental concerns have been instrumentalized by both parties.