Sustainable mountain development in East Africa in a changing climate

Policy actions Greater Virunga is a transboundary ecosystem that requires transboundary collaboration. The mismanagement of the ecosystem in one country can affect efforts in the other countries. It is for this reason that the neighbouring countries established a transboundary framework to collaborate efforts in conserving this important ecosystem. The Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration is a mechanism for strategic, transboundary, collaborative management of the GVL. This mechanism was set up in 1991 by the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature, the Rwanda Development Board and the Ugandan Wildlife Authority, with support from their partners in the region. It started with ranger collaboration to protect mountain gorillas in Mgahinga, Bwindi, Virunga and the Volcanoes National Park. Later, it expanded in scope to include tourism, community conservation, and research and monitoring. It covers an area which now extends to central and northern Virunga (DRC), and the Queen Elizabeth, Rwenzori Mountains and Semuliki National Park (Uganda). The Executive Secretariat is based in Kigali, and coordinates communication between stakeholders on behalf of the Protected Area Authorities. Although the transboundary initiative is in place, it still has no legal basis. The treaty governing its establishment was expected to be signed by the Heads of State of the DRC, Rwanda and Uganda in 2011, but this is still pending. Lessons learned from the case study While the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration is a step in the right direction, it requires a strong mandate if it is to be effective.

Signing up to the treaty is a prerequisite to legalization but the difficult relationship between the countries bordering the GVL has delayed the process. All three countries (DRC, Rwanda and Uganda) recognize the importance of GVL, in particular for its revenues from tourism, but political instability in the region continues to hinder the collaborative sustainable management of this important landscape. Recommendations Transboundary collaboration in the management of transboundary ecosystems is crucial. In East Africa, very few transboundary initiatives are in place and therefore new initiatives should be encouraged. Recently, the Albertine Rift Conservation Society signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the EAC to join efforts in enhancing environmental and sustainable natural resource management in the Albertine Rift region and other transboundary ecosystems of East Africa. The parties agreed to collaborate on activities to improve the management of transboundary ecosystems, particularly those relevant to sustainable mountain development.

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