Where We Work

Intervention Areas

A bio-diverse region

Albertine Rift Region

The Albertine Rift region is one of the most bio-diverse regions of the African continent. However, the region is heavily threatened as a result of poverty and human demography leading to deforestation and animal poaching. ARCOS was established for the region as the primary focus. It has spearheaded stakeholders engagement in the Albertine Rift since 1999 when the first Albertine Rift Regional Forum was organised.

In 2007, ARCOS developed a regional biodiversity monitoring framework to harmonise all biodiversity monitoring efforts in the region that culminated to the Albertine Rift Biodiversity Portal launched in 2014, supported by a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between biodiversity data holders in the region to share their data and exchange information.

Sustainable water services

Africa Great Lakes

ARCOS and its partners are working together through collaborative actions to address major issues affecting freshwater services in the region. Through support to civil society actors, we conduct activities that encourage sustainable water services, land management and farming practices as well as community ecotourism in a bid to achieve integrated water resources management of the freshwater resources in the region.

Our platforms have a component on Africa Great Lakes, to allow stakeholders track the progress towards the achievements along various conservation targets that have been set as well as allow policy makers and the public get accurate and well-structured information on the status of habitats, species and ecosystem services in this region. Read more on ARCOS Great Lakes Programme here.

Environmental protection

African Mountains

Mountains play an important role in economic development, poverty alleviation and environmental protection not only for upland areas but also for the lowlands. Mountains also provide a wide range of critical and indispensable ecological goods and services for a significant number of people in Africa.

With financial support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), ARCOS is implementing in Africa a global initiative termed Sustainable Mountain Development for Global Change (SMD4GC). The overall goal of this programme is to contribute to Sustainable Mountain Development under uncertain changes in climatic, environmental and socio-economic conditions, focusing on poverty and risk reduction. Find out more here.