There is need to act faster on Basongora
Sep 19, 2007
BARELY two months to the impending visit of the Queen of England and Head of the Commonwealth to the only national park in the world named after her, there is still no indication that the Basongora pastoralists will be relocated from Queen Elizabeth National Park soon.
By Lillian Nsubuga
BARELY two months to the impending visit of the Queen of England and Head of the Commonwealth to the only national park in the world named after her, there is still no indication that the Basongora pastoralists will be relocated from Queen Elizabeth National Park soon.
Renovation of the Queen’s pavilion that Her Majesty will visit in memory of her first visit to Uganda half a century ago is nearing completion, yet degradation of the national park continues.
Action to relocate the Basongora to the areas agreed upon by the Government should be implemented as fast as possible not only because of the Queen’s visit but also for those tourists save their hard-earned incomes for a memorable visit to one of Uganda’s oldest parks. Imagine what their disappointment will be when, instead of finding large herds of fatty buffaloes and elephants, they are instead greeted by large herds of long-horned cattle leisurely grazing or being milked.
It will be a sad state of affairs if the country’s most popular national park gets totally destroyed. If such a large number of predators could be killed within a year, how many more will die if action is not taken fast enough to save Queen Elizabeth National Park?
While closing the second Annual Council Meeting of the Leadership for Conservation in Africa (LCA) recently, President Yoweri Museveni emphasised that conservation of Uganda’s national parks is a must because of the high revenue-returns wildlife-based tourism brings into the country. The meeting, which comprised local and international business and conservation leaders, totally agreed with him because they had expounded on these same issues throughout the meeting. If the local communities were helped to start income-generating eco-tourism projects instead of being left to engage in activities that destroy the ecosystems, it would be a win-win situation for all and sundry.
Tourism has the potential to improve livelihoods. It creates employment, attracts investors and it brings in hard cash and a sparkle to the lives of those who enjoy the tourist activities. Queen Elizabeth National Park with its numerous wildlife species, mystical crater lakes and breathtaking scenery is one of the bedrocks of the tourism industry in Uganda. More tourists visit the park each year than any other park in Uganda mostly because of its fame, accessibility and beauty.
Many prominent Ugandans have had their honeymoons there, and what a bang it was for them! Lovely place, beautiful accommodation and food, numerous wild animals, the most amazing sunsets, name it. Queen Elizabeth National Park has it all, which is why accommodation for the festive seasons is always fully booked by August of each year. It is also the reason more investors are going in there to construct more accommodation and attract more tourists. That makes the need to save the part even more urgent – there is simply too much to lose should the degradation continue.
Some detractors attempted to demonise Uganda Wildlife Authority for taking the noble decision to take firm action and stop the Basongora from spreading further into the park. They wrongly accused us of being high-handed in the pursuit of our mission to protect the integrity of the park. However, we were the biggest casualities with many of our staff clobbered with huge clubs and imprisoned for obeying instructions. Many UWA vehicles got punctures after driving over nails placed in the roads by the Basongora.
Our interest now is to see the Basongora peacefully leave the park as soon as possible. So much will be at stake if action is delayed. Several delegates who are coming for CHOGM have made reservations to visit the park. What do we want them to see, cows and huts? All efforts must be made to redeem the image of the park and the sooner we get started the better.
The writer is the Public Relations Manager of the Uganda Wildlife Authority
BARELY two months to the impending visit of the Queen of England and Head of the Commonwealth to the only national park in the world named after her, there is still no indication that the Basongora pastoralists will be relocated from Queen Elizabeth National Park soon.
Renovation of the Queen’s pavilion that Her Majesty will visit in memory of her first visit to Uganda half a century ago is nearing completion, yet degradation of the national park continues.
Action to relocate the Basongora to the areas agreed upon by the Government should be implemented as fast as possible not only because of the Queen’s visit but also for those tourists save their hard-earned incomes for a memorable visit to one of Uganda’s oldest parks. Imagine what their disappointment will be when, instead of finding large herds of fatty buffaloes and elephants, they are instead greeted by large herds of long-horned cattle leisurely grazing or being milked.
It will be a sad state of affairs if the country’s most popular national park gets totally destroyed. If such a large number of predators could be killed within a year, how many more will die if action is not taken fast enough to save Queen Elizabeth National Park?
While closing the second Annual Council Meeting of the Leadership for Conservation in Africa (LCA) recently, President Yoweri Museveni emphasised that conservation of Uganda’s national parks is a must because of the high revenue-returns wildlife-based tourism brings into the country. The meeting, which comprised local and international business and conservation leaders, totally agreed with him because they had expounded on these same issues throughout the meeting. If the local communities were helped to start income-generating eco-tourism projects instead of being left to engage in activities that destroy the ecosystems, it would be a win-win situation for all and sundry.
Tourism has the potential to improve livelihoods. It creates employment, attracts investors and it brings in hard cash and a sparkle to the lives of those who enjoy the tourist activities. Queen Elizabeth National Park with its numerous wildlife species, mystical crater lakes and breathtaking scenery is one of the bedrocks of the tourism industry in Uganda. More tourists visit the park each year than any other park in Uganda mostly because of its fame, accessibility and beauty.
Many prominent Ugandans have had their honeymoons there, and what a bang it was for them! Lovely place, beautiful accommodation and food, numerous wild animals, the most amazing sunsets, name it. Queen Elizabeth National Park has it all, which is why accommodation for the festive seasons is always fully booked by August of each year. It is also the reason more investors are going in there to construct more accommodation and attract more tourists. That makes the need to save the part even more urgent – there is simply too much to lose should the degradation continue.
Some detractors attempted to demonise Uganda Wildlife Authority for taking the noble decision to take firm action and stop the Basongora from spreading further into the park. They wrongly accused us of being high-handed in the pursuit of our mission to protect the integrity of the park. However, we were the biggest casualities with many of our staff clobbered with huge clubs and imprisoned for obeying instructions. Many UWA vehicles got punctures after driving over nails placed in the roads by the Basongora.
Our interest now is to see the Basongora peacefully leave the park as soon as possible. So much will be at stake if action is delayed. Several delegates who are coming for CHOGM have made reservations to visit the park. What do we want them to see, cows and huts? All efforts must be made to redeem the image of the park and the sooner we get started the better.
The writer is the Public Relations Manager of the Uganda Wildlife Authority