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Global Change Research Network for African Mountains Workshop Report Global Change Research Network for African Mountains Makarere University - Kampala, Uganda 23-25 July 2007 The workshop was organized by: African Highlands Initiative, Kampala, Uganda Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Bogor, Indonesia CGIAR Global Mountain Program, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Egerton University, Nakuru, Kenya Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA), Switzerland Makarere University, Kampala, Uganda The Mountain Research Initiative, Bern, Switzerland UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program, Paris, France Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland University of Witswatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa Workshop Report: Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland The Mountain Research Initiative, Bern, Switzerland [email protected] mmountain research r initiative i Rwanda, from presentation Bob Nakileza Contents Preface................................................................. 4 Background and Objectives..................................... 5 Overview of Presentations....................................... 7 Presentation Abstracts............................................ 0 Mid-workshop Review: land-use and climate change - what do we need to know?.............. 48 Results of the final discussion: the way forward......... 50 Appendix: I. List of participants.............................................. 5 II. Post-conference study tour................................. 56 III: The „Who is Who“ of African Mountain Research... 58 Dr. Gregory Greenwood Chair of the Steering Committee Dr . Gr eg o ry Gr een w o od PrefaceCha irperson International Steering Co mmittee The origins for the workshop What makes the sub-Saharan has human dimensions, in African „A Global Change Research Network African mountains different from mountains it is more appropriate to for African Mountains“ are many. mountains on other continents? state that the development trajec- After the Perth Conference in 005, First, unlike temperate or boreal tory has a global change dimension. which launched the Global Change mountains, which are frequently A global change research program in Mountain Regions Research Strat- cold and less than hospitable, Af- that does not address the develop- egy, the Mountain Research Initiati- rican mountains and highlands are ment trajectory will have no traction ve (MRI) committed itself to laun- often highly productive in agricultu- within Africa. Yet, addressing the ching regional research networks ral terms and therefore constitute a issue does not mean becoming an in different regions of the world. At prime human habitat. One look at uncritical advocate for development, the same time, MRI understood that a population density map of Africa but rather means understanding other organizations had distinct but shows a high degree of correlation that the ideology of development is related interests in global change between population density and every bit as important as climate in and African mountain regions. The elevation, especially in drier regions determining the trajectory of these Global Mountain Program of the and in Eastern and Southern Africa. mountain cultures. CGIAR was interested in agriculture Thus while arguments about the and rural development in mountain importance of mountains in tempe- Third, the history of African colo- regions, especially in tropical areas. rate regions frequently rely on that nialism and the generally low level UNESCO was interested in the role which is exported from mountain of national funding for research that Biosphere Reserves and World regions (such as water or tourist within Africa represent a challenging Heritage Sites could play in re- experiences), African mountains are institutional context for mountain search, especially regarding adapta- important because a vast number research. Many, though not all, of tion to climate change. The African of people live in those mountains, the more comprehensive research Highland Initiative and the Center deriving much of their livelihood programs on African mountains are for International Forest Research from them. Global change in African run by universities outside of Africa. were interested in rural livelihoods, mountains will thus immediately As a result they reflect the concerns and especially the role of gover- and directly impact a large number of the respective funding nation, not nance in natural resources manage- of people. necessarily those of African stake- ment. The Global Mountain Biodi- holders. In addition, the lack of lon- versity Assessment of DIVERSITAS, Second, African mountains exist wi- ger-term basic funding for research together with FAO and SDC, was thin a development context entirely within Africa renders African resear- looking at the impact of changes in different from that of mountains in chers more dependent on the vaga- grazing intensity and fire frequency Europe or North America. While the ries of international agency or NGO on African Highlands biodiversity. conservation ethos so intimately funding, where priorities are similar- And various universities, within and connected with mountains in Europe ly set in political contexts quite dis- outside Africa, had expertise and and North America is not absent in tant from African realities, or on the experience in the specific characte- Africa (witness the importance of needs of the African market, which ristics of individual African mountain various mountain National Parks), must favor training in marketable ranges and highland areas. Thus we economic development remains the skills over the development of new found a critical mass of interest in dominant discourse within which knowledge through research. As a sketching out a program for con- the response of mountains to global result the knowledge that does exist tinued global change research in change is embedded. While one regarding different mountain ranges African mountains. frequently reads that global change in Africa is remarkably fragmented 4 from the presentation by Stefan Grab Background and objectives and often subject to loss over time. When expressed in terms of tem- re University in Kampala, Uganda From another point of view, this also perature and precipitation means from -5 July 007. An optional means that the prospects for major and variances, the future expected post-conference field excursion improvements in understanding climate change may be more prono- (6-8 July) was also organized, simply through better coordination unced in tropical than in temperate taking participants to the Rwenzori and communication among resear- regions of the world. In Africa this Mountains and their environs. This chers are perhaps brighter in Africa climate change may lead to the was to familiarize participants with than anywhere else. disappearance of tropical mountain typical ecosystems, land use/cover, glaciers, increasing variation in wa- evidence of glacial recession, water These unique aspects of Africa and ter flows and changes in disturbance systems, hazards, adaptation and African mountains pose real challen- regimes in mountain flora and fau- risks factors in the mountain area. ges to the development of a global na, all of which would have impor- change research network for African tant impacts on African communities The workshop featured a total of mountains. As we embark on this and nations. 7 presentations of global change effort, we must be realistic about research projects undertaken within the prospects for success. Our gre- Climate change is, however, not and among the African highlands. atest asset remains our connections the only nor necessarily the most with each other. important form of global change There were two major goals of the affecting sub-Saharan African high- Workshop on Global Change Re- lands. Population growth and migra- search in African Mountains. The tion, economic development, global first was to bring researchers, site trade, and infectious diseases are managers, stakeholders and rep- all driving change in their own right resentatives of funding agencies and interacting with climate in Afri- together to refine the Global Change can highlands. Perhaps more than in Mountain Regions (GLOCHAMO- in any other region worldwide, the RE) Research Strategy developed discussion of global environmental under the EU’s 6th Framework change in sub-Saharan African high- Programme. The GLOCHAMORE lands moves quickly to the issues Research Strategy is global in scope of human security, vulnerability and and the workshop sought to trans- adaptation. However, the scientific late it into an agenda that responds community’s ability to contribute to the realities of highland Africa. to the development of adaptati- The resultant Global Change Re- on strategies is hampered by our search Strategy for African Moun- limited scientific understanding of tains is focused and realistic and the coupled human–earth system can be used by researchers in their in sub-Saharan African mountain proposals to funding agencies to environments. augment both the volume and the efficiency of funds directed toward The Workshop on Global Change global change research. Research for African Mountains was held at the Faculty of Food Science and Technology of Makere- 5 figure : Conceptual framework for GLOCHAMORE Research Strategy (adapted from GLP 005, Science Plan and Implementation Strategy, IGBP Report No. 5/IHCP Report No. 9 by Gete Zeleke) The second goal of the workshop Theme : Impacts
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