The Albertine Rift is a biogeographic region of the western branch of the African Rift Valley extending from the northern tip of Lake Albert to the southern tip of Lake Tanganyika and encompasses natural and human induced features from north-western Uganda, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, south-western Tanzania to northern Zambia. It is recognized to be important in terms of conservation of biodiversity, due mainly to a high proportion of endemism and harbors rich montane forest ecosystems, great lakes and river systems, most of them across international boundaries. These ecosystems regulate a stable climate across the region, protect water catchment areas and provide alternatives for community livelihoods and sustainable development.
However, the pressure on natural resources and environmental degradation in the Albertine Rift is extremely high, resulting mainly from poverty and high population density. The region has also experienced a series of armed conflicts that peaked mainly in the mid 1990s. In addition, one of the most important factors facing biodiversity conservation in the Albertine Rift is the limited knowledge on its status, the lack of sound public awareness and effective policies on the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources and limited capacity of local institutions. Encroachment, illegal logging, pollution and soil erosion, habitat loss due to mining, disruption of water flow and agriculture and climate change are among the increasing threats facing biodiversity, community livelihoods and sustainable development in the Albertine Rift.
