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• Develop guidelines for implementation of selected
innovations and best practices, at all levels of
governance; and
• Build capacity and mobilize resources for the
implementation of innovations and best practices;
and monitor implementation progress.
Global and regional coordinated
programmes to detect and monitor
climate change in mountain ecosystems
Mountains are known to be early detectors of climate
change. It is, therefore, important to develop and
implement well-targeted research to detect climate
change and how this relates to mountain ecosystems
and development – including trends in climate
change and ecosystem responses. Results of ongoing
research and monitoring programmes are vital, not
only for the East African mountainous region, but
also on a global scale.
Interventions may seek to develop climate and
ecosystem research for East Africa’s mountains as
an early indicator of climate change through the
following actions:
• Develop research ideas and identify key actors,
including research institutions at the national,
transnational and global levels; and
• Identify priority areas for research and develop
research protocols.
Other intervention areas will involve operationalizing
platforms for sharing research results at both regional
and global levels through:
• Publicizing planned research programmes
and raising awareness of the importance of the
research and the need to participate;
• Mobilizing resources and setting up research
teams according to priority areas and available
resources;
• Developing mechanisms for research and
information sharing between teams and the public
at large; and
• Continuously monitoring research progress
and feeding results into regional and global
information networks for the prediction of climate
change in mountain regions.
Determination, evaluation and
management of highland-lowland
interactions and continuous monitoring
of resource flows in order to avoid
mountain resource depletion, and to
realize increased financial benefits for
mountain communities
As a result of population growth and economic
pressures, movement of both people and resources
has increased. This includes both the movement of
people from the lowlands into mountain areas in
search of economic opportunities; and the flow of
people and resources from the mountain areas to
the lowlands to exchange products and services with
lowland communities and to take advantage of more
developed infrastructure and services. The dynamics
of highland-lowland interactions, therefore, have
important implications for mountain communities
and resources.
Understanding and continuously monitoring
resource flows to and from mountain areas is crucial,
particularly for ensuring that mountain resources
are used sustainably. It is also important for a fairer
distribution of earnings from natural resource
exploitation and more equitable service provision
in both mountains and lowlands. There is a need to
establish a benefit sharing mechanism.
Proposed interventions will seek to assess the nature
and magnitude of highland-lowland resource flows
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania