Mbarara — Uganda, Rwanda and the DR Congo, are stepping up efforts to increase their collaboration in the management of the Central Albertine Rift Transfrontier Landscape.

This is contained in a report titled "Uganda, Rwanda, DRC intensify transboundary collaboration efforts" published on April 10 on the Uganda Wildlife Authority web site.

The Central Albertine Rift comprises 8 national parks including Volcano National Park in Rwanda, Virunga National Park in the DRC, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kibaale National Park, Rwenzori Mountains National Park and Semliki National Park in Uganda.

There are also several adjacent forests and wildlife reserves within this landscape. The Natural Resources Co-ordinator for UWA, Mr Edgar Buhanga, said for the last 15 years, there has been informal collaboration among the three countries in the management of protected areas of a transboundary nature, but efforts are now being made to formalise it.

It is expected that the collaboration will ease movement of tourists between the three countries. "We are looking at regional tourism as a major benefit from this collaboration," Buhanga said.

In 2004, the Executive Directors of the three countries' wildlife bodies met and agreed to reach a formal agreement for co-operation that would also involve their governments.

As a move towards this, a draft strategic plan was drawn and discussed at a meeting of the three countries in Goma in October 2005 after which the ministers of environment and tourism from these countries signed a Tripartite Declaration supporting the initiative.