Communities Neighboring National Parks Denounce Poaching

As wildlife-based tourism entrenches itself as a leading foreign exchange earner and communities begin to appreciate direct benefits from wildlife, several people neighboring Ugandan national parks have denounced poaching. Poaching is the killing of wild animals for meat or skins illegally.

In many communities neighbouring different Protected Areas such as Murchison Falls National Park, Lake Mburo National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park, local people and their leaders have denounced poaching.

This took place at public meetings that were organised jointly by UWA and the local leaders. In Nebbi, over 100 people denounced poaching in May 2005 and handed over to UWA 72 spears and 30 wire snares, while in Butyaba parish near Bugungu Wildlife Reserve over 50 local people came out openly and handed over their poaching gear that included 64 wire snares, 18 spears, 10 arrows, 3 bows and one wheel trap.

Over 300 people from communities around Lake Mburo National Park including Rugaga and Massa in Isingiro District and Kakyera in Rakai District people denounced poaching in June 2005 after participating in several intensive and continuous sensitization workshops and meetings.

In Busolya village near Queen Elizabeth National Park nearly 150 people this month (November 2005) denounced poaching after participating in a sensitization meeting about the values of conservation and a visit to the national park. They handed over 75 spears, 3 traps, 9 wire snares, 7 bows, 3 dogs, 3 bells, one landmine which was to be used for blowing up elephants, and bullets.

The heightened interest among local people to conserve wildlife follows a multi-pronged strategy by Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) that has increasingly paid off, and includes the following factors:
– Extensive awareness campaigns among local people on the values of conservation and the legal implications for those found destroying wildlife.

– Implementation of the community conservation program through which communities are given controlled access to the resources within the Protected Areas after signing Collaborative Management Agreements with Uganda Wildlife Authority. This has enabled the people to learn, appreciate and realise benefits from wildlife conservation. People have also developed a sense of ownership for the wildlife resources within the Protected Areas.

– In addition, the judicial system has recently acted very tough with convicted poachers, many of whom have received stiff sentences of up to two years imprisonment.

– Enforcement of the laws against poaching, illegal consumption of game meat, and unlawful access to the protected areas has ensured increased compliance with the law among local communities.

– The revenue sharing policy through which communities get 20 per cent of annual gate collections from neighbouring Protected Areas has seen up to Ush1bn disbursed by UWA for various community projects in the last five years.

– The UWA anti-poaching measures on land, water and air have also been effective in deterring poachers from killing wildlife.

– Recently UWA retrained its ranger force together with the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) and created the Special Wildlife and Tourism Protection Force (SWIFT), which was subsequently deployed in all the country’s Protected Areas.

– More vehicles and field equipment have been acquired including radio communication and aircraft. Other changes within the UWA structure and new infrastructure have increased staff morale.

Now that communities are supportive of wildlife conservation and have denounced poaching, wildlife numbers will be restored as clearly seen by the improved trends in many parks from recent aerial counts.

With improved marketing and more political stability, it is expected that tourist numbers and wildlife populations will increase.

Wildlife populations have increased in the last 8 to 10 as follows:
· Elephant population increased from 1300 in 1995 to 3,000 in 2004.
· Buffaloes increased from 7,000 in 1995 to 18,000 in 2004
· Mountain Gorillas increased from 292 in 1995 to 370 in 2005
· Giraffe population increased from 153 in 1995 to 320 in 2004
· The chimpanzee population increased from 3, 300 in 1997 to 4, 950 in 2003. Uganda has the highest chimpanzee population in Africa.

Tourist arrivals also steadily increased as shown in the table below:

Visitor Statistics 1994 – 2004