Albertine Conservation Status Report

Abstract

1. Introduction Between 2001 to 2003, under the facilitation of the Albertine Rift Conservation Society (ARCOS), in collaboration with a core group of international conservation organisations operating in the Albertine Rift and with funding support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, stakeholders from government institutions and NGOs involved in biodiversity conservation in the Albertine Rift region engaged a process to develop a Regional Conservation Framework for the Albertine Rift also referred to as the Albertine Rift Regional Conservation Strategic Plan (ARCOS 2004). The Strategy document formulated a regional vision and identified six sub-planning units, where more detailed plans were suggested to be developed involving actors in these respective units, to harmonise their activities. Since 2007, ARCOS initiated the “Albertine Rift Biodiversity Monitoring and Information System (ARBMIS)”, which culminated into the signing of a regional Memorandum of Understanding with National Data Centres in each country of the Albertine Rift, namely: The University of Burundi and National Institute of Nature Conservation in Burundi, Centre de Recherche en Sciences Naturelles inDRC, Centre for Geographic Information System of the National University of Rwanda in Rwanda, Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute in Tanzania) and the Makerere University in Uganda. 2. The process and scope The process leading to the production of the Albertine Rift Conservation Status Report (ARCSR) was coordinated by ARCOS, with funding support from the John D. and Catherine D. MacArthur Foundation and JRS Biodiversity Foundation. It started in 2010 with a regional stakeholders meeting to agree on standards and themes. The meeting also involved training in information management and was followed by interactions with authors from various institutions in the region. As part of the ARBMIS Framework, the Albertine Rift Conservation Status Report is based on Pressure- State-Response indicators, part of the Drivers- Pressure-Impact-State-Response (D-P-I-S-R) Framework used commonly to evaluate the pressures of human activities on environmental states and to provide political responses in order to come back to a “desirable state”. The Report provides an overview of biodiversity status in the Albertine Rift at the level of species, habitats and protected areas, and ecological processes, discusses problems and challenges, disturbance regimes of biodiversity, including climate change and socio-economic pressures, it reviews existing initiatives that contribute to biodiversity conservation from community level and research interventions to national policies and strategies and suggest recommendations for addressing the issues identified in order to reach “desirable state”. The report aims to improve understanding and awareness of biodiversity and ecological processes, and emerging environmental issues and support decision-making processes so as to promote sustainable development practices. 3. Key Findings The summary of the five key priority environmental issues in the ARCSR are discussed below. a) The meaning, significance and implications of biodiversity From the results of recent surveys, compared to the 2003 results, this report confirms that the Albertine Rift is the most species rich region of continental Africa for vertebrates and has more endemic and threatened species than any other Ecoregion on the continent. More than 50% of Africa’s birds, 39% of mammals, 19% of amphibians and 14% of Africa’s plants and reptiles are found here (Plumptre et al. 2003; 2007a). But there are still gaps in areas surveyed, with some areas were much better surveyed than others for some taxa. Recent surveys show an increase in the number of endemic and threatened species for most taxa as new species have been discovered and described as well as with increased numbers of species classified under the IUCN criteria. There is also a difference in taxas, for example with more threatened mammal species and less for plans, while some new species are being identified, particularly in amphibians. Andy Plumptre also provides the species richness and endemism for different landscapes under the regional Strategic Framework with the Greater Virungas ranking high as the most rich landscape, followed by Maiko- Itombwe and Congo-Nile Divide. However, threats to biodiversity remain, linked to human population pressure, leading to more human-wildlife conflicts. Animal hunting, ivory trade and protected area encroachment is also a concern, particularly in eastern DRC. While significant efforts are being undertaken in several landscapes, increased conservation action is needed. The protection of Itombwe massif, and the planning for Marungu- Kabobo, only planning unit without a strategic plan constitute one of the top priorities. Albertine rift ecosystems are not only rich in biodiversity, but they also provide various services such as f Food, water, climate regulation, erosion control and tourism, and many others to local communities and to national economies. However, the high population pressure in the region is leading to rapid ecosystem degradation with major impact on some of the ecosystem services. For example, most wetlands outside protected areas have been converted to agriculture thus compromising the ecological functions that the wetlands serve. Several ecosystem services were already under stress and include biodiversity loss caused by habitat fragmentation, deforestation, hunting and poaching; food provision affected by soil and land degradation. All this is accelerated by the impact of climate change. As illustrated by pilot initiatives by ARCOS, interventions such as Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) need to be developed in the various landscapes within the Albertine Rift region. b) Biodiversity status - trends and indicators The threats to the Albertine Rift biodiversity are unfortunately alarming. Of these 41 species are endemic to this region while 25 are considered to be highly threatened for example, and over 14% of the mammal species in the AR area are listed by IUCN in the various levels of threat. For example for Reptiles, In total, 295 species of reptiles are presently known to occur in the Albertine Rift, 14.5% of which are endemic to the region including two species of crocodile that are EN but other species are listed as NE by IUCN. For Amphibians, 45 species sont endemics (25.7%), including 11 vulnerable (VU) and 2 endangered (EN) specie, and 38 reptile Endemics Part of this is due to habitat loss as a result of the increasing human population growth, with the density reaching up to 800 habitants/sq. km in many parts of the region. Most of the threat to the forested areas arose due to the high human population densities and the resultant demand for farmland and firewood for cooking. Hunting for bushmeat, once a subsistence activity, has become heavily commercialized and much of the meat goes to urban residents who can afford to pay premium prices for it. The situation is expected to worse in the future. Kashambuzi & Mugisha (2003), Louise (2007) and Kityo (in prep) among others, have reviewed issues related to oil, energy and other developments in the AR region. These developments although regulated continue to pile pressure on the ecosystems in the Albertine Rift. Mechanism need to already be put in place to monitor and document the nature of the cumulative impacts and analyze their impacts on the biodiversity. It is also important to consider the long-term changes. More serious and longer term impacts will be experienced as result of ongoing developments but also from climate change. it will increasingly become important to harmonize conservation efforts, to monitor these changes, to establish corridors where this is possible to ensure ecosystem connectivity and functions. c) Conservation issues and challenges Having one of the poorest and highest population densities in Africa, the Albertine Rift is faced with many challenges as highlighted in several sections above. In this section, key conservation issues are discussed, including climate change, volcanic eruptions, socio-economic development and land use change. Climate change is one of the most pressing issues faced by the world today and the impact of climate change in the Albertine Rift is already significant with ice melting on Rwensozoris Mountains, as well as adverse agricultural responses, changes in seasonal runoff, floods, storms; plant phenology and extreme temperature and rainfall events. Birdlife International conducted a detailed modelling for 14 Albertine Rift) endemic species to determine future species shifts in the face of climate change. All 14 endemic species studied are projected to be at severe risk from climate change, with some species like the Red throated Mountain-babbler (Kupeornis rufocinctus) projected to lose all suitable climate space within the IBAs in the region. Studies of the Mountain gorilla also shows that climate change is likely to result in shifting of range of the species and clustered distributions represent a significant vulnerability of the species to disease. Protection and or restoration of natural habitats outside the protected areas is likely to represent a key adaptive management strategy in an effort to ensure resilience regional biodiversity under climate change. The effects of climate variability on crop production and livelihood options of small scale farmers is discussed, and linked to land use change. Apart from climate change, natural phenomenon such as the volvanic eruption that occurred in 1992 for Nyiragongo volcano has a serious impact on the fauna and flora of the region, as wild species as well as cultivated plants are attacked by volcanic particles and acidic rain waters. This has serious consequences to human health but also has an impact on livelihoods and economies in general. With the need to accelerate socio-economic development in the Albertine rift region, the governments of the different countries spanning the rift are faced with the dilemma of striking a healthy balance between the quest for rapid socio-economic development and conserving biodiversity. Unless sustainable measures are mainstreamed in economic development activities, particularly emerging economic opportunities such as oil and energy, sustainable agriculture, biodiversity and the livelihoods options of the poor will be affected, which is a big issue as over 80% of people in the region depend on agriculture. The vulnerability of the agricultural and rural poor in particular, is expected to increase with predicted climate change and associated extremes such as frequent and more severe droughts, abnormally wet periods and higher temperatures. The resilience of the above sectors must be improved in response to current and future climate variability. d) Responses: Institutions and stakeholders role in developing policy and responses Caring for our environment and natural resources is a shared responsibility. For transboundary ecosystems such as the Albertine Rift, acting in isolation will never be an answer for sustainable results. Individuals, government institutions, civil society and the private sector, all need to do their bit in addressing the challenges we have by generating information for awareness raising and decision making, by developing good policies and taking appropriate actions. 4. Key Conclusions and Recommendations The results of this report confirm that biodiversity in the Albertine Rift is faced with a number of challenges, particularly climate change, high population density in the region, unsustainable practices and the need for policies integrating emerging issues such as climate change, ecosystem services in development agenda. Oil and other emerging economic development opportunities continue to put pressure on the exiting protected areas, critical habitats and people’s livelihoods, special measures need to be taken. While countries have made good efforts to establish a good network of protected areas, there is still a gap in protection, in terms of key sites of Itombwe and Marungu-Kabobo highlands, as well as establishing critical corridors to ensure viable populations and resilience in face of climate change. Freshwater ecosystems need also special attention, in terms of level of protection, development of national wetlands policies and limitation of destructive activities. Integrating human needs in the management of protected area is also a big need, build on existing efforts to promote benefit sharing in the region .Based on the issues above and other mentioned in this report, the following recommendations are proposed: Need for a participatory review of the Albertine Strategic Framework and • It is now 10 years after the production of the Albertine Rift Strategic Conservation Framework 2004- 2030 (ARCOS 2004). Given the change in socioeconomic, political and environmental conditions over these years and the emergence of new challenges and emerging issues, there is a need to conduct a review of the implementation of the strategy. Need for Regional approach and transboundary mainstreaming in national strategies and policies • The Mountain and freshwater ecosystems of the Albertine Rift of the different countries share the same type of terrain, biological diversity, and climactic conditions and face the same challenges of global change. There is a need for global and regional institutions stand to benefit from interacting more closely with each other and working together to share, exchange, and develop strategies for comprehensive solutions to the challenges of global change in mountain areas and transboundary ecosystems. • Taking into consideration the increasing need for regional collaboration to manage global issues such as climate change or transboundary and regional issues such as refugees, river basin management, we urge countries in the region to reflect the use of transboundary water resources, including both surface water and groundwater in national policies and the international community to pay special attention to regional dialogue, regional mechanisms and initiatives. Need for protection of critical terrestrial and freshwater habitats and processes • While we recognize the efforts made by governments in the region in the establishment of a good network of protected areas and investing resources for protected area management, we urge governments to consider wider landscape planning and ecosystem based approach and connectivity, particularly in face of increasing climate change and urge particularly an official protection status for Itombwe Mountains in eastern DRC. Government should especially develop policies allowing communities to benefit from ecosystem services. Need to balance economics needs and sustainability of ecosystem services • With the increasing depletion of resources in the region, there is a need to increase public and social understanding that there is no sustainable development if the current rapid exploitation models are maintained. There is a need to move from rapid and uncoordinated use of resources to more inclusive models of environmental management. Coordination of multiple uses and social participation. Need for consistent, comparable, and representative data to monitor resilience to climate change There is need for consistent, comparable, and representative data to monitor change. This involves climatic, physical, and biological parameters on species and ecosystems, as well as sociocultural and livelihood data. Economic and socioeconomic studies are also needed to assess what factors characterise community resilience to climate change. Capacity building will be needed to carry out specific research in taxonomy, conservation biology, impact assessment, and livelihoods.