Mnason Tweheyo

Patterns of crop raiding by primates around the Budongo Forest Reserve, Uganda

Abstract Crop raiding by primates in particular and wild animals in general is a significant source of people-forest conflict around the Budongo Forest Reserve, Uganda. Crop loss to wild animals undermines local support for conservation efforts in this area. Patterns of primate crop raiding were studied over a period of 14 months in six villages (five adjacent to the Budongo Forest Reserve and one that is approximately 3,500 m from the forest edge). Data were collected via a questionnaire survey. Additional information was obtained from the relevant local government offices. Chimpanzees Pan troglodytes, baboons Papio anubis, other monkeys, bush pigs Potamochoeus procus and porcupines Hystrix cristata were reported by farmers to be the major causes of crop losses by wildlife. Of farmers, 73% reported suffering crop damage caused by primates, and 79% considered baboons to be the most destructive of all crop raiding species. Drought, insect pests, poor sowing, plant diseases and accidental fires were other sources of crop losses to farmers, though the risk of crop damage particularly by primates is perceived as the most serious potential cause of losses. Using chimpanzees as a case study, patterns of crop damage across the year are compared with seasonal fluctuations in availability of wild foods.

Contribution of wetland resources to household food security in Uganda

BackgroundIn Uganda, nearly 1.4 million people are currently food insecure, with the prevalence of food energy deficiency at the country level standing at 37%. Local farmers are vulnerable to starvation in times of environmental stress, drought and floods because of dependence on rain-fed agriculture. Accordingly, the farmer’s means of increasing food production has always been an expansion of area under cultivation from virgin and fragile areas, especially wetlands. Consequently, Uganda has lost about 11,268 km2 of wetland, representing a loss of 30% of the country’s wetlands from 1994 to 2009. While the environmental importance of wetland ecosystems is widely recognized, their contribution to household food security is still hardly explored. In this paper an assessment of the contribution of wetland resources to household food security and factors influencing use of wetland resources in Uganda are reported.MethodsA number of livelihood tools in food security assessment including focus group discussions, key informant interviews, direct observations and a household questionnaire survey, were used to collect the data. A total of 247 respondents from areas adjacent to wetlands were involved in the household questionnaire survey conducted in three agro-ecological zones that are frequently characterized as food insecure.ResultsThe findings indicate that about 83% of the households experienced food insecurity. The main indicators of food insecurity were low harvest (30.9%) and when people buy locally grown food items (18%). Most households felt food secure when they had perennial crops (43.2%) in their gardens, or adequate money to buy food (23.9%). The prevalence of food insecurity was significantly lower among households with older and better educated household heads, but also among households located in Lake Victoria Crescent and South western farmlands agro-ecological zones, but significantly higher among households that were female headed, larger and participate in collection of wetland resources. Over 80% of the respondents reported that wetland resources provide products and services that contribute enormously to their household food security. Besides, they also indirectly contribute to food security by providing services that foster food production such as weather modifications and nutrient retention. Households with older heads and those that reside in the Lake Victoria Crescent agro-ecological zone when compared to counterparts in the Lake Kyoga agro-ecological zone are more likely to have a higher dependence on wetlands for food security.ConclusionsWith increasing population around the wetlands, coupled with land shortage and weather variations, households with limited options will continue to generally rely on wetlands for food security and income for sustaining their livelihoods unless alternative livelihood options are provided. There is thus a need to design appropriate food production technologies that ensure sustainable use of wetland resources for food security.

Wildlife Snaring in Budongo Forest Reserve, Uganda

Snaring is an indiscriminate vertebrate trapping method that has maimed more than 36% of an estimated 700 resident chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) of Budongo Forest Reserve. This study was conducted in two phases to assess this problem. First, we administered questionnaires to 240 randomly selected households in villages around the reserve to look at socioeconomic and cultural contexts within which snares are set. Second, hunters identified in the first phase were purposefully selected for deeper discussions into snaring; 12% of the farmers set snares. Logistic regression showed a significant relationship between snaring and socioeconomic variables such as education. Hunters considered bushmeat an integral part of their livelihood and thus, snaring may continue or increase from current levels. Alternative sources of protein and cash for local people will be necessary to offset snaring problems. Conservationists need to address in-forest diversity and strategies that improve food security and income for forest edge communities.

Wildlife damage and control methods around Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda

This study documents the different management and control measures developed and implemented by farmers to mitigate vertebrate pest attacks on crops and livestock around Lake Mburo National Park in Uganda. A semi-structured interview administered to 40 randomly selected park neighbours was supplemented with key informant interviews, a review of secondary data, and direct observations of vertebrate pest problems and their management. All participant farmers had experienced some damage from vertebrate pests. Bushpigs ranked as the most destructive to crops, while leopards were most destructive to livestock. Most damage occurred during severe dry seasons. The most common methods for combating pests were guarding, fencing, and poisoning. Physical guarding was perceived as being the most effective method; however, there were reports of pest resurgence, which varied between pest species, seasons, and methods used. Bushpigs showed the greatest resistance against control measures. Control efforts were found to be tedious and time-consuming, and they created the possibility for the transfer of infectious diseases frompests to humans. We recommend conscious efforts to augment local control methods so as to enhance both biodiversity conservation and farm production.

DENSITY, CALORIFIC VALUE AND CLEAVAGE STRENGTH OF SELECTED HYBRID EUCALYPTS GROWN IN UGANDA

This study was done to ascertain the suitability of Uganda’s clonal eucalypts for fuelwood. The objectives were to determine: (i) basic density (BD); (ii) calorific value (CV); and (iii) cleavage resistance (CLR) parallel to the grain of widely adopted clones i.e. GU7, GU8, GC540, GC550 and GC796 and to compare these properties with those of their parent materials; i.e. Eucalyptus grandis, Eucalyptus cammaldulensis, and Eucalyptus urophylla. Tests were done according to BS373(1957) and ASTM:E870-82(2006) procedures. Clone GC540 showed the highest BD (664kg/m3), GU7 had the highest CV (17800kJ/kg), GU7 and GC540 had higher values for CLR (20N/mm). BD and CLR means were in-between parent material means for GC clones. All clones had lower values of CV compared to parent materials. It was concluded that clonal wood at 6-7 years remains a viable alternative for fuelwood due to high volume increment per unit time and moderate CLR values to allow ease of splitting.

Forest disturbance and cropping mixtures influence crop raiding by red-tailed monkey and grey-cheeked mangabey around Mabira Forest Reserve, Uganda.

Communities around protected areas frequently complain of wild animals destroying already limited crop fields, with little or no assistance offered by conservation stewards towards the mitigation of crop raiding losses. The aim of this study was to find out whether forest disturbance gradient and crop mixtures influence the level of crop raiding by the red-tailed monkey (Cercopithecus ascanius larvatus) and the grey-cheeked mangebey (Lophocebus ugandae). The study was conducted in sample plots from seven village enclaves surrounding the Mabira Forest Reserve in central Uganda. Crop raiding was highest in the maize-cassava (Zea mays-Manihot esculenta) and least in banana-coffee (Musa sp.Coffea sp.) cropping mixtures. Crop raiding among disturbance zones was higher in the more disturbed production zone, but did not differ between the low and moderate disturbance zones (nature reserve and recreation buffer). Results show that crop raiding by the two primate species is enhanced by forest disturbance that encourage either very limited or extensive forest disturbance. However, the gravity of crop raiding is also determined by the cropping systems practices by communities around the forest. Planting mixtures of highly susceptible crops such as maize and less susceptible ones such as coffee, as well as following recommended weeding regimes can reduce the level of raiding. Compensation schemes should be disaggregated according to disturbance (or management zones).

Collaborative Forest Management in Uganda: Benefits, Implementation Challenges and Future Directions

In many countries including Uganda, management of forest resources has moved away from command and control system to a more participatory approach that require involvement of a broad spectrum of stakeholders. The introduction of Participatory Forest Management (PFM) was sparked by several factors: both international and local. At the international level, treaties and accords such as the Tropical Forest Action Plan (TFAP), an outgrowth of the agenda 21 framework initiated in Rio-de-Janeiro in 1992, sought to reverse the loss of forests through the involvement of stakeholders, especially adjacent communities. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) (1992) highlights the importance of sustainable use and equitable sharing of benefits that arise from biodiversity resources. At the local level, the original argument for increasing community participation in the maintenance of rural conservation projects stemmed from the need to better target peoples needs, incorporate local knowledge, ensure that benefits were equitably distributed and lower management costs (Wily, 1998). The inclusion of communities in the management of state-owned or formerly state-owned forest resources has become increasingly common in the last 25 years. Almost all countries in Africa, and many in Asia, are promoting the participation of rural communities in the management and utilisation of natural forests and woodlands through some form of Participatory Forest Management (PFM) (Wily & Dewees, 2001). Many countries have now developed, or are in the process of developing, changes to national policies and legislation that institutionalise PFM. PFM encompasses a wide range of different co-management arrangements with different levels of control from relatively conservative “benefit sharing” to genuine “community-based natural resource management” where local communities have full control over management of the resource and the allocation of costs and benefits (Wily, 2002). Participatory forest management encompass processes and mechanisms that enable people who have a direct stake in forest resources to be part of decision-making in all aspects of forest management, from managing resources to formulating and implementing institutional frameworks. Notable among the participatory forestry management approaches are Joint Forest Management (JFM), Community Based Forest Management (CBFM) and Collaborative Forest Management (CFM). All these approaches tend to

Tetrapleura tetraptera in Ghana, Nigeria and Uganda: households uses and local market

ABSTRACT Tetrapleura tetraptera is an indigenous fruit tree in Tropical Africa. Scientific findings indicate its medicinal and nutritional properties, vital for rural livelihood sustainability. Despite this reported scientific potential, its uses in local communities have not received much attention. This study assessed T. tetraptera local uses in selected communities in Ghana, Nigeria and Uganda. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with a total of 420 user households and 30 traders. Reported uses of T. tetraptera were medicine, food, timber, firewood, shade and cultural applications. When ranked by importance, medicinal uses emerged highest in Ghana, Nigeria and Uganda. Except for food uses that differed significantly (p ≤ 0.05) between Uganda and Ghana, other T. tetraptera uses were not significantly different across the three countries. Household sales exclusively concerned the fruits, and were low, comprising only 16%, 15% and 6% of respondent households in Ghana, Nigeria and Uganda respectively. Our results reveal the importance of T. tetraptera for medicinal and food uses in local communities and its potential for improving local livelihoods through its domestication