Uganda afforestation project

Uganda

last update:

3 days ago

Related organizations

Problems

In western Uganda’s Hoima District, wild chimpanzees survived in shrinking fragments of forest on agricultural land around villages. These small forests, which occur along rivers and swamps, are owned by local households and have no formal protection.

In under	two	decades, most unprotected forest in the	Hoima corridor was cleared for timber and farming.	Hoima’s	imperiled chimpanzees live in tiny forest fragments amidst villages and farmland and rely heavily on crops for survival.  

Competition for space and resources led to increasingly hostile interactions	between	chimpanzees and their human neighbors, threatening the survival of these great apes and the health and livelihoods of local people.

Solutions

The Bulindi chimpanzee habitat restoration project

Author: DGB

The Bulindi chimpanzee habitat restoration project is a significant initiative in Western Uganda that aims to protect the remaining habitat of the Bulindi chimpanzees. The project was established by BCCP (the Bulindi Chimpanzee and Community Project) in response to the urgent conservation situation in the Hoima and Masindi districts, where over 300 wild chimpanzees survive in shrinking fragments of forest on agricultural land. This area is important for conservation as it is a corridor linking significant chimpanzee populations in two large protected areas, the Budongo and Bugoma forests, each home to more than 500 chimpanzees.

The project's approach is to work with local communities and households to find sustainable solutions that will benefit both the chimpanzees and the people. The project supports local families by providing them with energy-saving woodlot stoves and seedlings, reducing pressure on remaining natural forests. Forest enrichment planting aims to replenish the forest with natural foods for chimpanzees to reduce future human-chimpanzee conflict (by reducing crop 'raiding' by the great apes).

About 800 landowners plant trees yearly with BCCP, which is a good indicator of community engagement. They implement their tree planting program in parallel with other community initiatives, including support for village savings and loan associations, constructing water boreholes and energy cook stoves, and education outreach in schools and villages.

An estimated 1.3 million indigenous trees have already been planted, and 3 million more trees will be planted. In addition, owners of natural forests used by chimpanzees have been supported by contributing to the costs of their children's education on the condition that local forests are conserved.

The project also provides households with training in conservation farming, new income sources, building, using more fuel-efficient stoves, water quality, the benefits of trees, erosion control, and leadership skills.

Daily monitoring has quickly expanded from a single community to four communities of chimpanzees, with the largest community numbering between 35 and 40 chimps. Conflict between chimpanzees and local people has lessened, and monitoring has meant jobs for several locals. Corridor replanting is beginning to connect remaining forest fragments along rivers and assist chimpanzee movement.

The Bulindi chimpanzee habitat restoration project is a shining example of how nature-based projects can contribute to net-zero goals while promoting harmony between wildlife and local communities.

Source: https://www.green.earth/nature-conservation-projects/uganda-reforestation-carbon

Gallery

Timelines

2022

Around 1.3 million indigenous trees have been planted, and 3 million more trees will be planted over the next three years.

2019

BCCP planted various trees in the Hoima corridors, including indigenous species for habitat restoration and enrichment planting, fast-growing exotics for household woodlots, and high-quality robusta coffee (which can be grown under the shade of trees).

2018

175,400 tree seedlings were raised and distributed to over 600 registered farmers in 61 villages within the ranges of five of the estimated ten resident ‘corridor chimpanzee’ groups. Tree species include: eucalyptus, indigenous Maesopsis (producing edible fruit), and indigenous mahoganies.

2014

The BCCP was established by Dr. McLennan to help conserve the chimpanzees’ forest home, which was being rapidly converted to farmland, and to support the local households who share their environment with the chimps.