International cooperation and conflict in a social-ecological system: study of mountain gorillas as a common pool resource

The endangered mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) is a subspecies of
the eastern gorilla dependent on habitat shared by the Democratic Republic of
Congo, Republic of Rwanda, and Republic of Uganda, and is considered here
as a common pool resource. The intergovernmental framework established by
Treaty as the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration (GVTC) has
exhibited adaptability and resilience in a sustained medium-level conflict context but is yet to achieve high-level cooperation for gorilla conservation. A
combined Institutional Analysis and Development and Social-Ecological Systems
framework analysis illuminates changes to key variables influencing
cooperation over time, notably the increased number and value of habituated
mountain gorilla groups, and a growing number of actors and associated interests. Our findings highlight that operational rules and norms for cooperation did not change as expected over time in response to changes to other variables in the social-ecological system. The forthcoming species conservation action planning process would benefit from (a) formal affirmation and/or renegotiation of discrete agreements related to operational rules and norms, facilitated by the GVTC, (b) the re-creation of a broad coalition of networked actors for collaborative and long-term mountain gorilla conservation, and (c) agreed social performance measures relevant for the resource system.