What is driving the gorillas out of Bwindi National Park?
Aug 02, 2009
Until a decade ago, it used to be home to the Batwa, the pygmies living in south-western Uganda and the DR Congo. Even the small-scale gold miners and timber loggers had to hang up their tools. This was done to create a homeland for Mountain gorillas to s
By Gerald Tenywa
Until a decade ago, it used to be home to the Batwa, the pygmies living in south-western Uganda and the DR Congo. Even the small-scale gold miners and timber loggers had to hang up their tools. This was done to create a homeland for Mountain gorillas to save them from extinction.
Today, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has become a popular destination for gorilla tracking. But the downside is that the gorillas are straying from their “paradise†to forage on farmland belonging to the Batwa and Bakiga.
“Instead of feeding our children, we are feeding gorillas,†says Carol Asiimwe, a resident of Buhoma in Kanungu district.
Asiimwe, a towering youthful mother of three, paced up and down after hearing reports that gorillas were advancing towards her farm from the edge of the park.
Wildlife experts and park authorities have found the behaviour of the gorillas intriguing since they are escaping from the park which is free of encroachment.
“There are reasons why the gorillas are leaving the park. Bwindi is well-protected,†says Dr. Arthur Mugisha of the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP).
In the early 1990s, the conservation status of Bwindi was elevated from a forest reserve to a national park. This, Mugisha says, brought an end to destructive activities like gold mining and logging that plagued the forest.
“We managed to overcome the problem of extractive use of the park, but created another one,†says Mugisha.
The intrusion into the forest by removing some trees created space for the growth of certain species of vegetation that provide food to the largest primates.
Mugisha argues that the gorillas have less to eat since there are more trees and fewer shrubs. He called for research and monitoring to manage the problem.
“Even in the case of cattle rearing, if you do not manage the pastures, the cattle may starve. The situation could be the same with the gorillas.â€
Charles Tumwesigye, the chief park warden, says the concept of the park has to be looked at in a changing situation, environment and society.
Apart from the Mubaale gorillas in Kanungu, Tumwesigye cited another group in Nkuringo, Kisoro district that no longer lives inside the forest. There is also the Rushegura group, which spends more time on the encroached landscape across the border in the DR Congo.
Originally, when the gorillas strayed onto land that belonged to the neighbouring communities, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) with the support of IGCP, bought it for the gorillas. But the gorillas have moved farther, into people’s farmland.
“People want an immediate solution. They are being incited to demand a big chunk of the money from gorilla tracking since it takes place on their land,†says Tumwesigye.
As a way out, Tumwesigye says, some trees on a small part of the forest will be cleared and the gorillas monitored to see how they respond.
He says elephants living in a forest in Ruhija have provided a clue to his proposal. The elephants pull down some of the huge trees.
“This allows shrubs to grow in the open area. So, the gorillas stay inside the park since there is food for them,†says Tumwesigye.
UWA executive director Moses Mapesa warns that cutting down the trees would distort the ecological system and adversely affect some species.
“Bwindi has been impenetrable for centuries and even supported more gorillas in the past.
“It is possible to have open space in the forest, created by strong winds that throw down huge trees or when trees die of old age.â€
Mapesa says some people would take advantage of the move and stealthily cut trees in the park.
However, Mapesa did not rule out felling trees as a measure to keep the gorillas inside the park.
“It could be true that the gorillas may not be finding enough food inside the park, but cutting down trees will be the last option,†he says.
Other measures suggested by Mapesa include encouraging communities around the park to grow crops such as tea, which are not eaten by gorillas.
“If tourism generates a lot of money for the country, why don’t we encourage communities living near Bwindi to start growing crops which are not attractive to gorillas?†he asks.
The benefit, Mapesa says, would be double-fold since earnings would come from tea without antagonising gorillas, which have become Uganda’s top money spinners.
Another strategy Mapesa suggests, is encouraging cultural-tourism to help the communities make more money. For instance, communities at Buhoma in Bwindi are harnessing cultural tourism. Tourists, after tracking gorillas, move around the village to see local activities like brewing local beer, traditional healers and entertainment provided by the Batwa.
Although people like Asiimwe are paying the price for being the neighbours of the endangered gorillas, the apes raise a lot of sentiments globally. Cutting down some of the trees in Bwindi or not is, therefore, likely to remain a thorny issue.
Until a decade ago, it used to be home to the Batwa, the pygmies living in south-western Uganda and the DR Congo. Even the small-scale gold miners and timber loggers had to hang up their tools. This was done to create a homeland for Mountain gorillas to save them from extinction.
Today, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has become a popular destination for gorilla tracking. But the downside is that the gorillas are straying from their “paradise†to forage on farmland belonging to the Batwa and Bakiga.
“Instead of feeding our children, we are feeding gorillas,†says Carol Asiimwe, a resident of Buhoma in Kanungu district.
Asiimwe, a towering youthful mother of three, paced up and down after hearing reports that gorillas were advancing towards her farm from the edge of the park.
Wildlife experts and park authorities have found the behaviour of the gorillas intriguing since they are escaping from the park which is free of encroachment.
“There are reasons why the gorillas are leaving the park. Bwindi is well-protected,†says Dr. Arthur Mugisha of the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP).
In the early 1990s, the conservation status of Bwindi was elevated from a forest reserve to a national park. This, Mugisha says, brought an end to destructive activities like gold mining and logging that plagued the forest.
“We managed to overcome the problem of extractive use of the park, but created another one,†says Mugisha.
The intrusion into the forest by removing some trees created space for the growth of certain species of vegetation that provide food to the largest primates.
Mugisha argues that the gorillas have less to eat since there are more trees and fewer shrubs. He called for research and monitoring to manage the problem.
“Even in the case of cattle rearing, if you do not manage the pastures, the cattle may starve. The situation could be the same with the gorillas.â€
Charles Tumwesigye, the chief park warden, says the concept of the park has to be looked at in a changing situation, environment and society.
Apart from the Mubaale gorillas in Kanungu, Tumwesigye cited another group in Nkuringo, Kisoro district that no longer lives inside the forest. There is also the Rushegura group, which spends more time on the encroached landscape across the border in the DR Congo.
Originally, when the gorillas strayed onto land that belonged to the neighbouring communities, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) with the support of IGCP, bought it for the gorillas. But the gorillas have moved farther, into people’s farmland.
“People want an immediate solution. They are being incited to demand a big chunk of the money from gorilla tracking since it takes place on their land,†says Tumwesigye.
As a way out, Tumwesigye says, some trees on a small part of the forest will be cleared and the gorillas monitored to see how they respond.
He says elephants living in a forest in Ruhija have provided a clue to his proposal. The elephants pull down some of the huge trees.
“This allows shrubs to grow in the open area. So, the gorillas stay inside the park since there is food for them,†says Tumwesigye.
UWA executive director Moses Mapesa warns that cutting down the trees would distort the ecological system and adversely affect some species.
“Bwindi has been impenetrable for centuries and even supported more gorillas in the past.
“It is possible to have open space in the forest, created by strong winds that throw down huge trees or when trees die of old age.â€
Mapesa says some people would take advantage of the move and stealthily cut trees in the park.
However, Mapesa did not rule out felling trees as a measure to keep the gorillas inside the park.
“It could be true that the gorillas may not be finding enough food inside the park, but cutting down trees will be the last option,†he says.
Other measures suggested by Mapesa include encouraging communities around the park to grow crops such as tea, which are not eaten by gorillas.
“If tourism generates a lot of money for the country, why don’t we encourage communities living near Bwindi to start growing crops which are not attractive to gorillas?†he asks.
The benefit, Mapesa says, would be double-fold since earnings would come from tea without antagonising gorillas, which have become Uganda’s top money spinners.
Another strategy Mapesa suggests, is encouraging cultural-tourism to help the communities make more money. For instance, communities at Buhoma in Bwindi are harnessing cultural tourism. Tourists, after tracking gorillas, move around the village to see local activities like brewing local beer, traditional healers and entertainment provided by the Batwa.
Although people like Asiimwe are paying the price for being the neighbours of the endangered gorillas, the apes raise a lot of sentiments globally. Cutting down some of the trees in Bwindi or not is, therefore, likely to remain a thorny issue.