In an effort to promote conservation and restoration of the depleted Bugoma Forest Reserve in Kikuube district, the Chimpanzee, Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust (CSWCT) in partnership with local communities adjacent to the reserve, have kicked off a tree planting campaign. 

According to Dr Joshua Rukundo, the executive director of CSWST, the campaign is targeting planting of over 100,000 trees in Kabwoya sub-county in Kikuube district and other areas. 

Speaking during the launch of the campaign on Friday at Kaseta Primary School, Rukundo said they are committed to planting 40,000 trees this year and so far, about 5000 trees have been planted. 

He noted that the tree planting campaign is part of the activities to mark 25 years of CSWST. 

Rukundo noted that under the campaign dubbed Plant a Tree, Restore Chimpanzee Habitat, they will only plant indigenous tree species and that the trees will be planted in schools with land and along the river line area with Bugoma forest among others. 

He noted that due to the continued destruction of chimpanzee the animals have become isolated from their communities. 

Rukundo added they are targeting the river line area with the aim of establishing corridors that will link up the remaining patches of forest that exist such as Wambabya, Bugoma and Budongo to ensure the movement of chimpanzees from one region to another. 

“Those corridors have been destroyed and it’s imperative that we restore them for the future prosperity of the species of the chimpanzee,” he said. 

He expressed concern that the population of the chimpanzees isn’t multiplying, noting that currently, the country has 60,000 chimpanzees and that this number has been maintained for the last 12 year despite their effort to conserve them. 

Francis Twesige Mukoto the chairman LC3 for Kabwoya sub-county planting a tree

“But to us this is a plus because when you compare with 20 years ago when we had over 25,000 chimpanzees here in Uganda and they decreased to less than 5,000, and now the number is 60,000. I think our efforts have started to pay off now that we have a stable population. We need this population to increase by allowing them to thrive in their habitats,” he said. 

Francis Twesige Mukoto, the LC3 chairman for Kabwoya sub-county, expressed excitement about the campaigns, adding the tree planting initiative is going to help in the restoration of the habitats of primates in the area.  

He said that the area has faced several wildlife and human conflicts, noting that this gives hope that the restoration of depleted wildlife homes will reduce the conflict. 

Abdul Barebaki, a resident of Nyairongo village in Kaseta parish, Kabwoya sub-county, said planting of trees has come at the right time when Bugoma is facing extinction. He noted that the depletion of the forest has forced wildlife to invade communities, loss of rain formation and wood fuel resources. 

Some of the locals washing their hands after planting the tree along River Rutoha

He expressed optimism that tree planting is going to restore the depleted environment in the area, restore chimpanzee habitat, lost fuel woods and reduce the wildlife attacks on their gardens.