Man’s efficiency in killing each other is not only evident in his sophisticated weaponry, but also where he tends to slaughter others for most maximum destructive effect.

In a new study from the scientific journal Conservation Biology, more than 80 percent of the world’s major armed conflicts during the last half century have taken place in some of the most biologically diverse and threatened places on Earth.

The hotspots are home to a majority of the world’s poorest people who rely on natural resources for their daily survival. Forests and other healthy ecosystems help cleanse freshwater and provide sources of food, medicines and materials for building homes. They are often intertwined with centuries-old traditional lifestyles and unique indigenous cultures.