Sustainable mountain development in East Africa in a changing climate

hand, decentralization is from the central government to the district directly, where district councils are in charge of district level governance. Below the district councils are sub-county and lower level councils, which are supposed to facilitate effective community participation. In Kenya, the management of natural resources is decentralized from provinces to districts, which enables participation of local communities (Kithika, 1999; GoK, 2013). The implementation of policies and laws on sustainable development in the mountains of East Africa has often been constrained by a lack of human resource capacity, limited financial resources, corruption, a lack of access to information, political meddling and political instability at all levels (Rwakakamba, 2009; NEMA, 2010; GVTC, 2014). While there is a lack of policies with a direct focus on mountain ecosystem management, many of the East African countries have a number of sectoral policies and laws that address issues relevant to mountains. These will have to be properly integrated into the implementation of a regional mountain agenda. Experience on the ground reveals that there is lack of coordination and collaboration among sectoral institutions and political leaders. This tends to create rivalry and conflict in the implementation and enforcement of the policies (e.g. Wetlands policy, National Policy on Water Resources Management and Development; National Land Policy, National Agricultural policy; Forests Act). However, it should be noted that institutional frameworks are good; it is only distortions and misinterpretations of the roles and responsibilities. Civil society plays roles in lobbying and awareness- raising on mountain development issues, and their great contribution should not only be recognized, but also built on in further pursuance of mountain development issues and climate change.

Turmi market, Ethiopia

states is necessary for promoting the wellbeing of the mountain peoples and ecosystems. This cooperation can also promote peace between states and a recognition of shared values and objectives (Owen and Maggio, 1997). The impacts of mountain ecosystems also extend beyond mountain boundaries to the surrounding areas. This brings in the concept of highland-lowland interactions. Highland and lowland interactions can be social, ecological, economic or political in nature, and may include flows of resources, trade and people. These linkages also need to be taken into account. In addition, efforts have to be made to build the capacity and awareness of mountain communities to understand and appreciate the uniqueness and importance of their native habitat. In particular,

It is important to note that mountain ecosystems, cultures and economies are usually not contiguous with international frontiers and domestic boundaries created by central governments. Most of the mountain ecosystems in the East Africa countries transcend national borders. To be able to manage such ecosystems as well as provide improved community livelihoods, subregional approaches are required either to complement or feed into national programmes. In this respect, existing or past subregional programmes need to be reviewed to determine whether they fit these requirements. Mountain communities on one side of the border are often part of the communities on the other side. This raises the question of national identity and the affiliation of particular mountain communities to a particular country. This calls for intergovernmental cooperation. Cooperation between neighbouring

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