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Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation Mbarara University of Science and Technology |
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Where we work The Albertine Rift region, along the borders of Western
Uganda and Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and Eastern Democratic Republic of
Congo, has been identified by many organisations as one of the highest
priorities for biodiversity conservation in Africa. It is the most species rich region for vertebrates on the
continent (Brooks et al., 2001) and has a high diversity of most other
taxa which have been studied. In addition, it supports many rare and
endemic species (Plumptre et al., 2003).
The montane forests of this area are particular important for
conservation and have received the most attention, but a wide variety of
other habitats contribute to the overall richness of the area.
The biodiversity of this area is described in detail in the WCS
Albertine Rift Technical Report Series publication no 3. Biodiversity
of the Albertine Rift (Plumptre et al., 2003). Within
the Albertine Rift, ITFC’s programmes are carried out within an area
known as the Greater Virunga Landscape (GVL). The GVL is probably the most
important part of the Albertine Rift for conservation, with a wide variety
of habitats and altitudes, from 600m-5100m above sea level, from bare
rocks and glaciers on the top of the Rwenzoris, to alpine and montane
forests, lakes, swamps and savannahs, down to lowland forests.
Species richness in the GVL is particularly high, as are the
numbers of endemic and threatened species. Among the innumerable species which inhabit this area, the
mountain gorillas have above all captured the attention and imagination of
the world. There are only
around 700 mountain gorillas in the world, living along the borders of
Rwanda, Uganda and DR Congo, all within the GVL. The
volcanic soils in much of the GVL are very fertile, and the area supports
extremely dense human populations, with up to 6-800 people per square
kilometre in places. These
communities suffer high levels of poverty and are largely dependent on
natural resources for their livelihoods, which presents serious challenges
for biodiversity conservation. The
natural resources and environmental services which forests and other
protected areas provide are of great importance to local communities
living in the area, as well as to national economies.
For
example, households living around forests may derive between 11 and 27 %
of their annual income from use of forest resources, which equates to
almost a $200 million contribution to the national economy of Uganda,
while indirect use values including watershed protection, carbon
sequestration, biodiversity values and soil conservation have been
estimated to be worth over $120 million nationally and globally (Bush et
al., 2004). Some protected
areas are important tourism attractions, which generate revenue for local
and national economies. For
example, mountain gorilla tourism has been estimated to be worth over $20
million per year, although a relatively small proportion of this is
accrued at the local level (Hatfield, 2004).
Conservation programmes need to take account of
interactions between biological and socio-economic factors across the
area, and must aim to reconcile biodiversity conservation objectives with
the development needs and aspirations of the local population. Almost
all of the unprotected natural habitat has been cleared for agriculture,
and most of the protected areas are isolated islands of habitat.
Many are still threatened by encroachment, as well as bushmeat
poaching, harvest of trees for timber, building poles, firewood and
charcoal production, human-induced fires, invasive exotic species and
human-wildlife disease transmission. References: Brooks, T., Balmford, A., Burgess, N., Fjeldsa, J., Hansen,
L.A., Moore, J., Rahbek, C. and
Williams, P. (2001) Towards a
blueprint for conservation in Africa.
Bioscience 51, 613-624. Bush, G., Nampindo, S. Aguti.,
C. and Plumptre, A.J.
(2004) The Value of Uganda’s Forests: A Livelihoods and
Ecosystems Approach. Wildlife Conservation Society, Unpublished report to National
Forest Authority. Hatfield, R. (2004)
The economic value of the mountain gorilla forests: benefits, costs and
their distribution amongst stakeholders.
Paper presented to the International School of Tropical Forestry,
Yale University Spring 2004 Conference (http://www.bioecon.ucl.ac.uk/Kings
papers/Hatfield.doc) Plumptre, A.J., Behangana, M., Davenport, T., Kahindo, C., Kityo, R., Ndomba, E., Nkuutu, D., Owiunji, I., Ssegawa, P., and Eilu, G. (2003) The Biodiversity of the Albertine Rift. Albertine Rift Technical Reports No. 3, pp105. |
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