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Mount Elgon is shared between Uganda and Kenya
and stands at a height of about 4,000 metres above
sea level (MoWE, 2013).
In Uganda, Mount Elgon National Park covers nearly
1,121 km² of the mountain’s 4,000 km² area (UWA,
2009a). The mountain was listed as a UNESCO
Biosphere Reserve in 2005 due to its considerable
plant diversity, including several rare species of
Afromontane flora, its cultural significance and role
as a water catchment area (UWA, 2009a).
Apart from being one of the most important areas
of biodiversity and a water tower for both Uganda
and Kenya, Mt. Elgon also serves as a catchment area
for the drainage systems of three lakes - Victoria,
Turkana and Kyoga (MoWE, 2013).
Mount Elgon’s Afromontane forests provide a
range of foods, fibres and fodder for the people
African Mountains and Climate Change: The case of Mount Elgon
living around the mountain area, including the
Benet Ndorobo people (Ongugo et. al., 2014). The
mountain area contains endangered species, some
of which are endemic to the Afromontane region,
making it one of the major tourist attractions in East
Africa (Ongugo et al., 2014).
Key challenges
Mount Elgon’s ecosystem is vulnerable to the impacts
of climate change largely because of the mountain’s
high population density (900 people per km² on
the Uganda side, with a population growth rate of
3.4 per cent per annum). This puts a lot of pressure
on the mountain ecosystem, particularly given the
fact that the main source of livelihoods for Mount
Elgon communities is agriculture and that hilly areas
are being cleared for settlements and farming. The
slopes of Mount Elgon are highly prone to landslides
that are caused by a combination of unsustainable
land-use practices, high population densities, heavy
rainfall, as well as natural features of the area such
as soil properties and steep slopes. The result has
been flooding of downstream areas, extensive soil
erosion and landslides which have destroyed lives
and property.
Policy responses
The international community and the Governments
of Kenya and Uganda have paid special attention
to Mount Elgon because of its importance as a
transboundary resource and a UNESCO Biosphere
Reserve. The two governments have gazetted landslide
and mudslide prone areas, prohibited settlement in
high risk areas and are in the process of resettling
people living in land/mudslide prone areas. They have
also made significant efforts to promote reforestation.
The Ugandan Wildlife Authority, through its Forests
Absorbing Carbon Emissions project, has, to date,
restored over 6 000 ha of natural forest in an effort to
sequester carbon. The United Nations through UNDP
and UNEP, the district authorities of Mbale, Manafwa
and Bududa, and the Ugandan Ministry of Water
and Environment, have implemented the Territorial
Approach to Climate Change, whose overall objective
is to support local low carbon and climate change-
resilient development by helping local decisionmakers
and planners to design integrated climate change
(adaptation and mitigation) policies and strategies,
and formulate solid action and investment plans
that promote long-term sustainability and poverty
reduction (UNDP, 2011).
Other initiatives include the Mt. Elgon Regional
Ecosystem Conservation Programme whose main
aim is to strengthen natural transboundary resource
management, with a focus on participatory benefit
sharing models.
Mount Elgon, Uganda