Uganda Wildlife Authority marked this year’s World Tourism day national celebrations held in Mbarara in style by giving out a total of 175 million shillings to the communities adjacent to Lake Mburo National Park under the revenue agreement . The Uganda Wildlife Act of 2000 mandates the wildlife agency remit 20% of the park entry revenue collections with the local governments touching the park boundaries per annum. The prime minister of the Republic of Uganda,Mr. Ruhakana Rugunda presided over the function which was witnessed by the minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu as well as the state minister Hon. Godfrey Kiwanda Ssuubi. A member of the UWA Board of Trustees Eng. Ivan Mbabazi Batuma declared the funds from the park entrance for the year 2014/15.The premier then handed over the cheques to the leaders of the local governments amidst excitement. Of the funds disbursed, Mbarara Municipal Council received 11,033,390/=,Isingiro District Local Government took home 74,963,193/= and Kiruhura 89,369,900/= The funds will be used to implement development projects to empower the communities and improve livelihoods in the affected communities. Some of them include construction of water dams at Rushororo and Akaku in Kanyaryeru sub county, opening Rwabarata –Kakunyu community access road in Rwamuranda parish. In Sanga sub county, the funds will support Kiribwa United poultry scheme, Rwamuhuku community conservation Association (crafts and entertainment),bull fattening in Nombe II by Abatatana Group and goat rearing in Kigarama Abakundaine Group. According to Mr. Asa Kule Musinguzi, the chief Park Warden, Lake Mburo, the funds will also support provision of piped water to Byembogo cell in Sanga Town council(Kizimbi ward)communities to fence valley tanks constructed with support from AWF-USAID in Rurambira(Nyakashashara sub county ,construction of Akatooma community P. School (Nyakahita). In Isingiro District, projects to benefit include completion of a classroom block at Rukuuba PS, maintenance of Kyenjonjo road in Rwentango parish, a heifer project in Kyarugaju,Kabingo sub county and goat rearing in Ihunga parish among others. Other projects in Isingiro include piggery, goat rearing and bull rearing in Mirambiro parish of Rushasha sub county while in Rugaaga Sub County, there will be completion of a classroom and office block for Kiretwa Mixed PS as well as support to Kaswina Valley Drama Actors. , Last year,Lake Mburo NP disbursed a total sum of Uganda shillings 455,957,607. Of this, Kiruhura district received 232,364,162 shillings; Isingiro district 194,906,332 shillings and Mbarara District 28,687,113 shillings for implementation of identified projects. The national park receives on average 26,000 visitors per annum generating approximately 200 Million shillings as mandatory 20% revenue share to the neighbouring communities/ Local Governments under (Section 69(4) of the Uganda Wildlife Act Cap 200 of 2000). This is annually disbursed to frontline communities to implement approved projects in line with revenue sharing guidelines. The outcome of the implemented projects is expected to be improved livelihoods and reduced human wildlife conflicts that maybe pertaining to any given protected area. In order to create a bond between the frontline communities, community leaders and protected area management, and to contribute to the overall development of the districts, the revenue sharing guidelines require that the projects are integrated in the respective development plans and funds are disbursed through the district to ensure effective monitoring by the leadership. The ultimate goal of Revenue Sharing programmes to achieve community support for wildlife conservation. Uganda Wildlife Authority has also embarked in improving visitation to this national park by approving more investment in accommodation, partnering with ACCA to construct Enyemebwa Centre for cultural tourism and translocation giraffe to the area. We hope the next disbursement of Revenue sharing funds will be much more than what has been given out this year . UWA is aware of the challenges being faced by the communities especially in Kiruhura district by presence of wild animals on their land and all efforts are being exerted to use various strategies to ensure that this challenge is overcome over time. These strategies include but not limited to: translocation, sport-hunting, establishing conservancies, habitat management, encouraging able individuals to undertake wildlife ranching and having in place a specialized team to handle problem animals. End

 
The members of the Uganda Wildlife Authority eighth Board of Trustees (BOT) have completed a two day familiarization tour of Lake Mburo National Park in South Western Uganda, to acquaint themselves with the developments, ongoing projects and tourism activities in the area.

The board was led by the chairman Mr. Benjamin Otto and the UWA Executive Director, Dr. Andrew Seguya. Other members of the board, who visited the park bordering Kiruhura, Mbarara and Isingiro districts, are Eng. Ivan Batuma, Hon. Edward Balidawa, Dr. Akankwasah Barirega, Dr. Dianah Nalwanga, Dr. Panta Kasoma, Mr. Leonard Wamakote, Mr. Kagumaho Kakuyo and Ms Zeridah Zigiti.

During their supervisory visit, the board members inspected the sites for planned accommodation facilities at Kazuma Look out hill, Kigambira hill,the former interpretation centre in Rwonyo and the Enyemebwa Cultural Education Centre funded by Fauna and Flora International and World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF).
The board members also visited a two block school(Nyanga Community Primary School) in Rurambira parish constructed with funds from the Revenue Sharing scheme and Sport hunting  to the tune of 46m/= and a church hall valued at 15m/=.

The members flanked by top management inspected the ongoing construction works for the new park office block at Minekye hill, senior staff quarters and the new pier for the boat landing at the Lake Mburo close to the UWA managed Lakeside restaurant.
The board chairman was pleased to learn from the chief park warden, Mr. Asa Kule Musinguzi that visitation to the park had steadily increased to 26,000 individuals last year from 12,000 in 2005, and the gross revenue risen to 2 billion shillings.

Next week as Uganda celebrates the international tourism day in Mbarara, UWA will give out a total of 175 million shillings to the districts of Kiruhura, Isingiro and Mbarara Municipal Council as revenue sharing funds for 2014/2015.
Lake Mburo National Park is one of Uganda’s smallest parks and closest to Kampala City, making it the favorite destination for tourists with limited time to stay in the country.
End

A new born was discovered on 11/09/2016 by the trackers who had gone to track Bikyingi gorilla group. It is believed to have been born the previous day (10/09/2016). The new born brings the number of gorilla individuals in the group to 22.

Bikyingi gorilla group is located in Rushaga, South of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and comprises of 21 individuals i.e. 1 silver back, 9 adult females 2 sub adults and 9 infants. It is one of the two groups that are undergoing habituation in the park. Bikyingi is also the group where the famous Gorilla Habituation Experience (GHE) is conducted at the moment. Habituation of the group started in 2013 while the GHE started in January 2015. The last birth among the gorillas in BINP was on 21/08/2016 in Bushaho- a group under habituation located in Nkuringo in the Southern sector of the park.

Bikyingi group was first sited in Bikyingi area, near Rushaga before the process to habituate it started, hence it was decided to name it according to the area. The only silver back and leader of the group was also named Bikyingi. Naming of the other individuals has not yet been done as the gorillas are still shy because they are not yet fully habituated. Therefore, the mother of the new born does not bear a name at the moment. With the 9 adult females, all with babies, it is a very interesting and amazing group to visit for the Gorilla Habituation Experience.

The other special thing of Bikyingi group is that the silver back-Bikyingi is very friendly to all the babies in the group and is always with them most of the time, more time than the babies, except the newly born, stay with their mothers. The babies mainly go to their mothers to breast feed and return to the silver back as soon as they are done with breast feeding! This is one of the reasons it has been difficult to determine the mothers of particular babies as all the adult females in the group have babies.

By

JJ Tibesigwa
Ag. CAM-BMCA

1. On behalf of the Government of Uganda and my Ministry, I extend my sincere warm welcome to you all who have turned up for this prestigious regional elephant conservation awareness campaign code-named “WALK FOR ELEPHANTS”. Allow me to officially welcome the diplomatic representatives, the “WALK FOR ELEPHANTS” team which has been traversing East Africa since the 4^th of June, and our other conservation partners to this important event aimed at raising awareness about the plight of our endangered African elephant.
2. In a special way, I wish to welcome the Director of the Elephant Neighbors Centre, Mr. Jim Justus Nyamu, and your team, for championing the cause to save the African elephant through this unprecedented walk covering the vast East African countries. I am particularly happy that the message has been targeted to reach the audience where the sources of threats to the elephant are expected to be.
3. As many of you may already be aware, elephants are vital to the web of life in Africa as a keystone species, helping to balance the ecosystem for all the other species to benefit - by opening up forest habitats to create gaps that facilitate growth of forage for antelopes and other mammals, creation of walk ways and firebreaks, and maintaining of the grassland ecosystems for grazers, creation of water pools and access routes to water sources for other wildlife, dispersal of seeds and hence helping ecosystems to gain new growth, and fertilizing the landscapes along their pathways for the growth of flora and certain fauna species.

The elephant is also one of the most preferred species that contributes greatly to tourism revenues, and hence community livelihood. In 2004, elephant game-viewing tourism in Botswana was estimated to be contributing up to US$39 million to GDP. A research done in 1993 estimated the net financial returns from high-quality elephant ecotourism in selected savanna localities at about US$5/ha.

1. The most unfortunate thing is that mankind is not recognizing the role the African elephant is playing in our lives. Our flagship species in the African conservation and tourism is currently faced by serious threats more than ever before. It’s unfortunate that man is the key source of threats to elephant conservation and loss of their habitat through poaching for ivory and encroachment. Trade in illegal ivory has increased over the last five years and poaching has undermined decades of conservation, drained range states of their natural heritage, threaten the safety of rural communities economic well-being and heavily affects revenue from wildlife tourism.

Continent-wide survey reveals massive decline in African savannah elephants from 1.3 million in 1979 to only about 352,000 individuals. Africa lost 30% (about 144,000 individuals) of Its Elephants between 2007 and 2014, and it is estimated that poachers are killing off 8 percent of savanna elephants a year. Meanwhile, another study found that the second pachyderm species, African forest elephants, which lost 62% of their population between 2002 and 2011, will require at least a century to recover because they breed significantly slower than thought. Scientists estimate that fewer than 100,000 forest elephants now remain.

1. At this rate of disappearance of the African elephant, our Governments cannot just sit and watch to see this iconic species to extinction. We need serious interventions to stop this rate of disappearance of the elephant. I am aware that the African Elephant Range States have come up with an African Elephant Action Plan (AEAP) that has a number of strategies which require great efforts if we have to achieve our desired target in saving the African Elephant. This “WALK FOR ELEPHANTS” is therefore a timely intervention and we need more of such campaigns and other actions to have our elephants saved from the ruthlessness of elephant poachers.
2. Elephants in Uganda remain listed under Appendix I of CITES and the country is committed to its protection. I am reliably informed and glad that the elephant population in Uganda has been on the increase since the late 1990s despite the general population decrease on the African continent. The recovery in elephant numbers from less than 1,000 in 1980 to over 5,000 is not only attributed to the efforts of Uganda Wildlife Authority alone but through concerted efforts of all the partners in conservation. We cannot take this increase for granted as it comes at a huge cost in terms of protection and ensuring the security of the elephant population. We need to consolidate all efforts towards maintaining this increasing trend and ensure that the status quo is kept. This can only be achieved if our elephant conservation management strategies/plans are implemented.
3. Uganda actively participated in the development of the African Elephant Action Plan (AEAP) and has domesticated it by formulating a National Action Plan. Currently, a number of interventions have been put in place including the ongoing review of the Wildlife Act to provide for punitive actions against ivory traffickers, we have deployments at the main customs exit (Airport) where about 5 tons of ivory have been confiscated and a number of people prosecuted, we have done a number of sensitizations with partner institutions including the Customs staff, Judiciary, prosecution, police, immigrations, Civil Aviation Authority and the Local people. We have also recently embarked on serious training of the Intelligence and law enforcement staff and we hope that these actions will soon add value to the survival of the elephant population in Uganda. I therefore take this opportunity to thank all those partners who have contributed in one way or the other in saving the Ugandan population through financial and policy support. In particular, I thank AWF, IFAW, WCS, the British Council who have been close to us in raising awareness and providing support to saving the elephant population in the region.
4. Likewise, from the manifestation of this walk, I am already convinced that Kenya and Tanzania will do us proud as part of the East African society in protecting our elephant population and fighting illegal trafficking of ivory. I also attended a conservation conversation in Kigali recently and my belief and conviction in the Rwandan Government on conservation was further strengthened by what I heard and saw. I therefore appeal to all of us who are here and all citizens of East Africa (through the media houses) to urgently join us conservationists and the conservation partners to save the elephant through any means that they may afford. The sharing of information on poaching shall be appreciated.
5. We are grateful to the East African Presidents (and in particular my own President of Uganda H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni) who led the African leaders at the launch of the Clinton initiative to tackle wildlife trafficking-particularly ivory. Our Presidents have set a roadmap for us to walk and it’s our responsibility therefore to ensure that their dreams are brought to reality and their efforts are not put to waste. We are also grateful to the African Elephant Fund managed by UNEP and other NGOs for providing some financial support towards strengthening the capacity of law enforcement against elephant poaching and illegal ivory trade. Such initiatives from our development partners are key to the survival of the African elephants. We are optimistic that with the Action Plan in place, more partners will come on board to address challenges affecting elephant conservation in the EAC region in particular, and the African range states at large.
   1. I would like once again on behalf of government to appreciate the initiative by Mr. Jim Justus Nyamu in promoting awareness about the plight of elephants and other wildlife, through a laborious exercise of trekking through the three countries, during which he has interacted with grass root communities to not only sensitize them but also capturing their opinions and perceptions which will be incorporated in the generation of policies that are geared towards general wildlife conservation.

1. I have learnt that while in Uganda, Mr. Nyamu and his courageous team have walked from Mutukula border post through Lake Mburo, Queen Elizabeth and Kibale conservation areas as well as various urban centres along the Mbarara-Kasese-Fort Portal-Mubende, and now in Kampala as they communicate and spread the gospel of conservation. I am informed that by the end of his walk in early October, the team will have covered a total distance of 3,200km in 125 days. This gesture ought to be emulated by all conservation loving East Africans

I hope that this gesture will be emulated and supported by all conservation loving Africans and conservation partners. The government of Uganda will continue to pro actively engage in bilateral and multilateral collaborations to promote cross border conservation agreements to curb poaching and illegal wildlife trafficking.

Once again, I congratulate the chief walker and your team upon the progress of the project so far accomplished and I am optimistic, you will successfully pull it off with very tangible results.

I now take this singular honor to close today’s events and wish the “WALK FOR ELEPHANTS team journey mercies and success in the accomplishment of this prestigious Conservation campaign.

 

Professor Ephraim Kamuntu

MINISTR OF TOURISM,WILDLFE AND ANTIQUITIES

 

 

 

 

It was joy and happiness in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (BINP) following the birth of a new baby gorilla on 21/08/2016. The baby gorilla was discovered in Bushaho area on 22/08/2016, a day after it born to Bunyindo-one of the four adult females in Bushaho gorilla group. The group is located in Nkuringo in the Southern sector of BINP and is one of the two groups in the park which have been under habituation since 2013. Habituation the group is expected to end in 2017. The second group that is under habituation is Bikyingi to which the visitors for the popular Gorilla Habituation Experience (GHE) are taken.

Prior to its habituation, Bushaho group frequently ranged in Bushaho area from which it derived its name. The birth of the new born brought the number of gorilla individuals in the group to nine (09) and the composition of the group is: 1 silver back, 1 black back, 4 adult females, 1 juvenile and 2 infants. Bahati, who leads the group is the only silver back in the group at the moment. He had been habituated earlier when he was still in Nkuringo group until he left Nkuringo group in around 2012 to live a solitary life. It was during that solitude that he grabbed some wild individuals to form his own group that was later named Bushaho.