Editing Land mine (section)

==== Access denial ====
The most prominent ecological issue associated with land mines (or fear of them) is denial of access to vital resources (where "access" refers to the ability to use resources, in contrast to "property", the right to use them).<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ribot|first1=Jesse C.|last2=Peluso|first2=Nancy Lee|date=October 22, 2009|title=A Theory of Access |journal=Rural Sociology|volume=68|issue=2|pages=153–181|doi=10.1111/j.1549-0831.2003.tb00133.x|s2cid=146470055 |issn=0036-0112}}</ref> The presence and fear of presence of even a single land mine can discourage access for agriculture, water supplies and possibly conservation measures.<ref name=Berhe2006/> Reconstruction and development of important structures such as schools and hospitals are likely to be delayed, and populations may shift to urban areas, increasing overcrowding and the risk of spreading diseases.<ref name=Newman>{{Cite journal|last1=Newman|first1=Robert D.|last2=Mercer|first2=Mary Anne|date=July 19, 2013|title=Environmental Health Consequences of Land Mines|journal=International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health|volume=6|issue=3|pages=243–248|doi=10.1179/oeh.2000.6.3.243|pmid=10926729|s2cid=20819737|issn=1077-3525}}</ref>

Access denial can have positive effects on the environment. When a mined area becomes a "no-man's land", plants and vegetation have a chance to grow and recover. For example, formerly arable lands in Nicaragua returned to forests and remained undisturbed after the establishment of land mines. Similarly, the penguins of the Falkland Islands have benefited because they are not heavy enough to trigger the mines present.<ref>{{Cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-39821956| title=The penguins that would not explode| work=BBC News| date=May 7, 2017| access-date=January 23, 2019| archive-date=January 16, 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190116173812/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-39821956| url-status=live}}</ref> However, these benefits can only last as long as animals, tree limbs, etc. do not detonate the mines. In addition, long idle periods could "potentially end up creating or exacerbating loss of productivity", particularly within land of low quality.<ref name=Berhe2006/>