Analysis of environmental security in East Africa

Environmental security is achieved as a result of proper management of the natural resources \nwhich ensures that the communities are less vulnerable. This is achieved by ensuring that there is \nproper environmental management by states, the importance of addressing the socioeconomic \nfactors of the communities and cooperation at all levels of research, policy, implementation and \nanalysis. Environmental degradation, inequitable access to natural resources and the transboundary \nmovement of hazardous materials can lead to conflict and pose a risk to national \nsecurity and human security. Trans-boundary pollution for instance, can disrupt relations \nbetween neighboring states which share a common resource base. The study investigated the \nimpact of environmental degradation on the environmental insecurity, the socio-economic \nfactors that lead to environmental degradation, the strategies to manage the natural resources \nsustainably for posterity. The study focused on how best the states within the East Africa \nCommunity can implement their environmental strategies and also co-manage the joint natural \nresources sustainably. There is a need to identify useful regionally coordinated approaches, \nregional sharing of experiences and responsibilities, undertaking regional research efforts when \nthe critical mass is too limited nationally, for the natural resources that are shared like waters, \nwatersheds, forest resources and/or when there are positive returns to scale by sharing of \ninformation, investment costs, research and development.