TRANS-BOUNDARY ECOSYSTEM CONSERVATION AND ITS CHALLENGES: THE CASE OF GAMBELLA-BOMA-BANDINGILO CORRIDOR

Abstract

INTRODUCTION AND JUSTIFICATION The world's biodiversity is shared by countries that are increasingly recognizing the need for effective responses to human influence and climate change impacts through coordinated management and protection of nature beyond national borders (K. Lindsay et al., 2017). According to World Bank (1996) definition, the term transboundary protected areas are relatively large areas, which straddle frontiers (boundaries) between two or more countries and cover large-scale natural systems encompassing one or more protected areas. Currently about 170 transboundary-protected area complexes are found worldwide, involving 113 different countries (Zbicz, 2001). Dhliwayo (2002), also stated that Transboundary or shared natural resources are resources that cross the political boundaries of two more States. Additionally, they are natural resources that are transected in their natural state by a political boundary such as a national frontier (Beyene and Wadley, 2004). Distribution of natural resources and biodiversity does not respect international boundaries, hence making their management frequently of transboundary character. In Africa, this becomes especially relevant, given that the international boundaries on the continent were largely decided upon in Europe during the “Scramble for Africa” period, having little consideration for local socio-cultural, political and ecological conditions (Reader, 1999). The United Nations Millennium Development Goal 7 calls for the integration of the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes in order to reverse the loss of environmental resources and biodiversity (UN Millennium Development Goal 7, available at: http://www.undp.org/mdg/goal7.shtml.). Therefore, as an effective platform for ecosystem-based protected areas, this will complement the Convention on Biological Diversity (1992; the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, (Ramsar, 1971), and the World Heritage Convention (1972). thus promoting a network of ecosystems not only in resource shared states but also throughout the world is necessary. Plants, animals, micro-organisms, waters, weather systems, and other elements that constitute the environment, including people, do not remain within jurisdictional boundaries. Therefore, issues of common concern arise out of shared natural area, resource system, or migratory species (Kariuki Muigua, 2018). Transboundary environmental challenges, however, are deemed to be of greater urgency than global environmental issues, and are generally dealt with under the Political-Security Community Blueprint rather than the Socio-Cultural Community. The Non Traditional Security approach is based on the idea of comprehensive security, which refers to those security threats that fall outside the traditional definition of 2 security involving military intervention. ‘Non-traditional security’ challenges include issues such as drug trafficking, transnational crimes (such as terrorism), transboundary challenges such as pandemics, and climate change disasters that spill over national boundaries. Under international law, every state has the right to exercise sovereignty over its natural resources found within its territorial borders (Stilz, Anna, 2009. However, natural resources that cross political borders, present a complex challenge particularly in managing environmental threats, and in regulating access to and use of the accruing benefits. As such, international environmental law comes in since no single State can allege to be solely entitled to access, use or manage such shared resources to the exclusion of all the others. All the concerned States must be involved in the management of shared natural resources (Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, 1992). According to Young (2012), protected areas in Ethiopia are gifted with unique wildlife; marvelous topographic land features with accompanying cultural manifestations that are compatible for wildlife tourism and wildlife conservation which in return help keep the functioning and healthy ecosystems which are essential for sustainable development, especially with regards to providing the services that we and future generations depend on for life. Thus, wildlife considerations have to be integrated into any poverty reduction strategy (Nielsen, 2001-cited in CBD, 2007). As a consequence, wildlife protection is being addressed to a far greater extent and increasingly receives global attention.