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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.
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.