Patrick Mucunguzi

Effects of heat and fire on the germination of Acacia sieberiana D.C. and Acacia gerrardii Benth. in Uganda

The effects of heat treatment and fire on seed germination of Acacia sieberiana D.C. and Acacia gerrardii Benth. were studied. Dry heat and fire were studied separately. Seeds treated with dry heat were set to germinate in petri-dishes under laboratory conditions. Other seeds were planted in plots at the Uganda Institute of Ecology, Mweya, which were then burnt, and subsequent seedling emergence was monitored. The effect of heat treatment on seed germination depended on heat intensity and duration of exposure. Higher intensities reduced the germination capacity of Acacia seeds. Short exposure of seeds stimulated germination but prolonged exposure rapidly reduced seed viability. A. sieberiana had a higher heat resistance than A. gerrardii . The survival and germination of seeds after fire increased with depth of burial and A. sieberiana survived better than A. gerrardii . The germinability of seeds of A. gerrardii was not significantly increased by fire.

Massive structural and compositional changes over two decades in forest fragments near Kampala, Uganda.

Private forests harbor considerable biodiversity, however, they are under greater threat than reserved areas, particularly from urbanization, agriculture, and intense exploitation for timber and fuel wood. The extent to which they may act as habitats for biodiversity and how level of protection impacts trends in biodiversity and forest structure over time remain underresearched. We contribute to filling this research gap by resampling a unique data set, a detailed survey from 1990 of 22 forests fragments of different ownership status and level of protection near Kampala, Uganda. Eleven of the 22 fragments were lost over 20 years, and six of the remnants reduced in size. Forest structure and composition also showed dramatic changes, with six of the remnant fragments showing high temporal species turnover. Species richness increased in four of the remaining forests over the resample period. Forest ownership affected the fate of the forests, with higher loss in privately owned forests. Our study demonstrates that ownership affects the fate of forest fragments, with private forests having both higher rates of area loss, and of structural and compositional change within the remaining fragments. Still, the private forests contribute to the total forest area, and they harbor biodiversity including IUCN “vulnerable” and “endangered” species. This indicates the conservation value of the fragments and suggests that they should be taken into account in forest conservation and restoration.

A Review of Non‐formal Environmental Education in Uganda

Summary Non‐formal environmental education and training in Uganda is reviewed and a new approach proposed. Contemporary environmental education has been characterised by a top‐to‐bottom approach, which has resulted in a dependence syndrome. It has not allowed for better perception and conceptualization of the ideas learned by the people. It has less emphasis on the roles of social change, economics and politics in environmental crisis. The new approach emphasises the adoption of multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, people‐centred and participatory programmes in environmental concerns. It should embrace the diversity of the biophysical, social and economic environments and be closely associated with permanent, developmental and functional literacy programmes. Special emphasis should be given to youth, women and policy makers. The five basic functions for participation, which are identification, out‐reach, dialogue, assimilation and feed‐back, are discussed.

Fragments and Food: Red-Tailed Monkey Abundance in Privately Owned Forest Fragments of Central Uganda

Understanding the strategies that primates use to survive in fragmented forest landscapes is vital for constructing informed management plans for specific regions and to enable researchers to start to make generalizations. In a 15-month study, we investigated factors that influenced the status of red-tailed monkeys (Cercopithecus ascanius) and their plant food resources in 20 of the few remaining privately owned forest fragments in Central Uganda. We employed transect methods for vegetation assessments and censuses with a short stop upon sighting red-tails to establish demographics and food plants consumed. While the sample involved forests of very different successional stages, forest size was the most important factor influencing both red-tail population size and the number of groups per fragment. Number of food tree species influenced only the number of red-tail groups per fragment. Basal area of food tree species and food tree abundance per fragment were not related to red-tail population size or the number of groups per fragment. Food tree species richness, total number of trees, and basal area of food trees increased significantly with fragment size. Availability of food resources was affected by various factors including habitat area, the nature and intensity of human exploitation, and how fragments were managed. The number of groups and abundance of red-tail monkeys declined when anthropogenic consumptive activities increased. In the future, as these forests are further degraded, the availability of food resources will continue to decline, and thus, the probability that these red-tail populations will survive much longer seems unlikely.

Environmental Education in the Formal Sector of Education in Uganda

Summary The paper gives a critical review of the present state of environmental education in the formal sector of education in Uganda. Pre‐colonial traditional environmental education has been largely marginalised by changes in society and land use associated with colonial and post‐colonial developments. The formal curriculum has been inadequate in many ways for meeting local needs. Secondly, the formal curriculum is largely disciplinary, factual, descriptive and academic, without being dialectical and analytical. A better approach to formal environmental education should be based on a multidisciplinary foundation that embraces the biophysical environment, people, culture, politics and socio‐economic systems. It should occur as a holistic approach to education, as well as the environment.