Locals join hands to afforestate degraded landscapes around Bwindi

To mark World Environment Day on June 5, 2024, communities around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park have embarked on a drive to afforestate over 100 acres of their land with indigenous trees.

Over 85 households in Mpungu and Kinabo sub-counties, Kanungu district in southwestern Uganda, have undertaken a move to find what they deem as a better sustainable way of utilising their land outside tea farming.

Under their community-based organisation Change a Life Bwindi, the residents have so far planted 20,000 trees out of the 50,000 trees targeted to be planted before the end of the year 2024.

Christina Katushabe, the founder of the community-based organisation explained that the initiative aims at creating a conservancy and improving the Bwindi ecosystem using not only the indigenous tree species but also the knowledge and cultural science of the Batwa people who lived in the jungles for a long time. "We first identified degraded areas within the buffer zone and approached respective owners of such land who bought the idea of afforestation," noted Katushabe.

Nursery beds of indigenous tree species were established from where tree seedlings have been transplanted to the slopes of rugged Bwindi terrain.

Christopher Byaruhanga and Philemon Tumwesigye, the area residents intimated that among the planted tree species include, Cordia Africana, Prunus Africana, Ficus Natalensis, Dodonia Viscosa, Aidia Coriaria, Beilschmedia Ugandesis, Carapa Procera, Galinier Saxiflaga and Musanga leo-errerae among others.

These, according to Byaruhanga, are of high significance to life, most of them being medicinal.

Donarta Tusiime of Rushasha village in Mpungu sub-county said community members were trained in sustainable land management practices with an inclination to the critical role of forest conservation in sustaining the environment and livelihoods.

"Utilising our pieces of land to plant trees will enable us to harvest fruits, firewood, medicine and purified sources of water as we ensure the protection of the environment," noted Tusiime.

Justus Wamala gave up his 56 acres of land to plant indigenous trees, a move he optimistically claims is more sustainably rewarding.

Funding

According to community members, the initial stage of acquiring tree seedlings and planting was sponsored by Ecosia, an online search engine whose efforts are geared towards planting trees across the world.

According to its website, Ecosia currently partners with local organisations in over 35 countries to plant trees. "Instead of monocultures, we grow over 500 different native species where they are needed most. Always shoulder to shoulder with local communities," the website reads.

Katushabe explained how she wrote proposals to Ecosia before winning the initial funding. She however, noted that whereas the initiative was birthed by the community-based organisation — Change a Life Bwindi, each community member has the freedom to opt out of the tree-planting initiative and repurpose their land as they see fit.

"Whereas we can acquire funding and purchase land, we are trying to avoid a situation where community members sell off their land and become squatters with no employment and livelihood," remarked Katushabe.

As households surrender some pieces of land for tree planting, they remain with enough land for cultivation and food growth. Meanwhile, Katushabe says, they started with land close to the Bwindi forest, especially the degraded swampy area as they spread wings to other terrains.

Over 85 households in Mpungu and Kinabo sub-counties, Kanungu district have undertaken the tree planting campaign to restore the degraded terrains around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

According to the Ecosia website, over 6,704 acres of forest cover have so far been restored in Uganda with 4,129,866 trees planted since the year 2017. "Only 5,000 chimpanzees remain in Uganda and their habitat is shrinking due to a growing demand for charcoal and firewood. Chimpanzees are shy animals but have been forced to leave the forest in search of food, creating conflicts with farmers. Together with the Jane Goodall Institute, we plant tree corridors that connect the remaining forests so that chimps can safely move between them," a statement on the website reads.

It adds, "We send out payments to different partners each month to plant and protect trees in biodiversity hotspots across the globe. Ecosia is a not-for-profit business. We do not pay out dividends and cannot be bought. That way, we are able to use 100% of our profits for the planet." Overall, there are over 205 million trees planted as of April 2024, in 35 countries across the globe.

Partnerships

Through the same local organisation Change a Life Bwindi, community members entered into a partnership with Kabale University to develop the university's academic curriculum, student internship programmes, collaborative research programmes and capacity building among others. The two entities signed a memorandum of understanding which will enable research opportunities for both parties in the fields of conservation management and restoration ecology.

Dr Phiona Mutekanga the head of faculty of environmental science at Kabale University explained that the collaboration seeks to jointly undertake scientific research in conservation management and restoration ecology with the core focus of returning agricultural land to Ugandan native habitats.

The collaboration will also ensure working together to realise training activities for both university students and community members as well as disseminating the findings of the scientific research jointly carried out via peer-reviewed journals.

Under the arrangement, Kabale University students will be undertaking their internship and research studies within the restored landscapes of Bwindi, in collaboration with the local communities. The university shall also ensure the provision of laboratory services among other scientific services required in the undertaking of the studies.

Prof. Wilson Bamwerinde, working in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources at Kabale University expressed optimism. "University programs are always more academic but we are now saying, enough of theory and should base our studies on problem-solving," he remarked.

The community has also appealed to the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) to allow members access to Bwindi impenetrable forest in the company of the rangers to collect indigenous seedlings for replanting. They also appealed to UWA to train community members as rangers who will look after the planted trees in circumstances where gorillas and chimpanzees among other fauna happen to cross over from the Bwindi forest to the community forests.

Several other tourism and conservation partners have expressed interest in joining the community's cause towards a sustainable way of living without destroying the volatile ecosystem.

About Bwindi

According to Bradt, a world travel magazine, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is Uganda's single most important tourist hotspot which protects a rugged landscape of steep hills and valleys. The tangled forested slopes of Bwindi provide shelter to one of Africa's most diverse mammalian faunas including the mountain gorillas. Bwindi forest has 160 tree species and more than 100 fern species.

Gazetted as a national park in 1991, the forest covers over 32,000 hectares and is known for its exceptional biodiversity with more than 160 tree species, 120 species of mammals, 357 bird species and 220 species of butterflies among several reptiles.

Bwindi has a tropical climate with the rain forest contributing to high amounts of evapotranspiration leading to an average annual rainfall of 1,500mm and remains a vital catchment area being a source of five major rivers that flow into Lake Edward. Due to its diverse features and ecological importance, the forest became a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) world heritage site.

Notwithstanding the importance of the Bwindi forest to the region's ecosystem among other tourism benefits, the habitat faces a risk of encroachment for settlement and other economic activities which, according to Katushabe, ought to be reversed by planting trees and restoring the disappearing wetlands.

World Environment Day

This year's World Environment Day (held every June 5), focuses on land restoration, desertification and drought resilience under the slogan 'Our land. Our future. We are #Generation restoration.' Official global celebrations will be held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Since its inception in 1973, the World Environment Day has been popularised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). World Environment Day puts a global spotlight on the pressing environmental challenges with focus on finding solutions to pollution.