Mountain Partnership

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Lesotho

Mountains play an important role in the lives of the people of Lesotho. Around seventy percent of national territory is mountainous (and over 2000 metres in altitude) and about 20 percent of the population (i.e. 400,000 people) lives in these areas. The future of these regions will depend on the availability of water resources, and the ability of its inhabitants to eke out a living and exploit the potential for tourism.

Mountain regions are generally in poor shape; prevailing unemployment, poverty, land degradation, loss of biodiversity and loss of cultural values in mountain regions are among the major problems faced. Lesotho classifies as its chief concerns: biodiversity conservation, watershed management, awareness raising, food security, health and the promotion of mountain products and tourism.

Mountain issues have not been dealt with explicitly and systematically in Lesotho and until 2002 there was no effective lobbying group for sustainable mountain development. In the country there is a clear distinction between mountain culture (Maluti) and lowland culture (Lesotho). The acceptance of the Maluti culture and the promotion of its inherent values can positively influence perceptions of the importance of sustainable mountain development. The mountain people of Lesotho possess a fund of knowledge and skills that needs to be documented and consolidated for future generations. A great deal of research still needs to be carried out relevant to the culture, biodiversity and ecosystems of the mountains of Lesotho.

The grasslands, heathlands and wetlands of the Drakensburg-Maloti Mountains in southern Lesotho are a repository of globally important floral diversity and constitute part of the Eastern Mountains Biodiversity Hotspot of Southern Africa. This area is the home of poor rural communities who are dependent upon their livestock for subsistence. Heavy grazing and over-frequent burning is leading to the degradation of natural habitats and watersheds.

In June 2001 Southern Africa's third 'Peace Park' was established when South Africa and Lesotho signed a document pledging to conserve and protect this mountain range. This newly-designated Transfrontier Conservation Area is funded by a Global Environment Facility (GEF) grant up to 2006. The UNDP/GEF project, 'Conserving Mountain Biodiversity in Southern Lesotho' addresses problems of land and watershed degradation in the Drakensburg-Maloti mountains by working with local communities to set up a network of protected areas, shielded from grazing pressures, adapting communal rangeland management systems in buffer areas and promoting sustainable agricultural practices such as rotational grazing. The project will help to enhance biodiversity protection, as well as to promote regional economic and sustainable development. A biodiversity database is being created at the University of Lesotho and extensive environmental awareness campaigns have been orchestrated at local level.

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