ABSTRACT
Transboundary collaboration includes both the physical establishment of transboundary protected areas and the transboundary dialogue. This chapter focuses on the Greater Virunga Landscape transboundary process undertaken by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda, with particular attention to the mechanisms involved in transboundary collaboration and the peacebuilding potential of such initiatives. It explains a consideration of the relationship between natural resources, conflict, and peace; and a discussion of transboundary cooperation in the Greater Virunga Landscape. Transboundary collaboration can be thought of as occurring along a continuum. Several decades of collaboration have generated enough trust and commitment for the transboundary process to have survived, and expand, but financial sustainability remains a challenge. Mixed technical committees, consisting of experts from some partner countries, facilitate information exchange and help prevent narrowly focused national interests from sabotaging the transboundary process. Compared with traditional conservation, transboundary collaboration requires more technical and political interest from elected officials and appointed government authorities.
