UGANDA'S FOREST POINT, BOGOMA,BUDONGO AND BWINDI FOREST RESERVES.

Uganda the “pearl of Africa” had a relatively sound environmental record. During Amin’s regime (1971-1979), the forests suffered from civil and political strife. From 1971 to 1987, Uganda lost 50 percent of its forests, including virtually all of its primary forests. Between 1990 and 2005, Uganda lost 26.3 percent of its remaining forest cover, and deforestation continues today at a rate of 2.2 percent per year, mostly due to subsistence farming, cutting for fuel wood, and colonization by the burgeoning population.

While Uganda is famous for its mountain gorillas and chimpanzees, it is home to some of the highest concentrations of biodiversity in Africa. More than 5,000 plant species are found in the country along with 345 mammals, 1,015 birds, 165 reptiles, and 43 amphibians. Today very little of Uganda's forest cover is considered primary forest by the U.N. In spite of this, more than 25 percent of the country is under some form of protection.

Bugoma Forest Reserve covers a total surface area of 41,144 hectares. Eco- Tourism in the reserve is being spearheaded by African Nature Conservation Expeditions, an international private firm with vast experience in tourism development.

 Bugoma forest reserve is important because it acts as the migration corridor between Kibale and Murchison falls National parks. But shockingly this migration block for faunas (chimps and elephants and others) plus floras life are seriously endangered by human’s egoism. The reserve is unprotected for agriculture (Tobacco) growing in non-sustainable manner as shown in the photos below.

  Pictorial view of disastrous deforestation in Bugoma forest reserve.

Budongo is the biggest forest reserve (covers an area of 793 km²) with older mahogany and iron forest trees. It is the largest Mahogany forest in East Africa with trees growing up to 80 meters. It habits 600-800 Chimpanzees under Jane Good all research centre and many other rare species of birds, including the Lemon Bellied Crombec, white-thighed hornbill and puvel’s Illadopsis and Chocolate-backed Kingfisher. Kaniyo-Pabidi and Busingiro Ecotourism sites are the major tourist sites within the Reserve. This reserve is positive example in Uganda and has become of great interest to clients for chimp trekking. On this experience tourist not only spot chimps but also other primates, birds and floras are nearly exposed and become informative and interesting as the experienced guides of Destination Jungle explain. Destination Jungle support Boomu women group and chimp trekking as effort.

Chimp trekking in Budongo forest reserve.

Bwindi Forest consists of a large primeval forest in East Africa, with altitudes spanning from 1,160 to 2,607 meters. The forest is at the edge of the western arm of the Great Rift Valley. Bwindi Forest (covering an area of 321 sq km) was recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as a World Heritage Site for being the home of half the world’s population (320 numbers) of endangered Mountain Gorillas as well as being one of the most biologically diverse areas on earth. The park has got 8 habituated gorilla families, that is the Mubare, Habinyanja, Rushegura, Nkuringo, Bitukura, Nshongi, Mishaya and the new born “Oruzogo” which are the hot cake of Uganda’s tourism sector. These endangered mountain gorillas typically enjoys their peaceful life in the tropical rain forests in Africa. Therefore survey photo reveal that, the gorillas are still endangered by human egoism and conservation concern has to be tabled by the tourism community to curb deforestation as seen in photo near Bwindi forest reserve. Read more about forests and deforestation in Uganda on our website, www.safaritoeastafrica.com/save-the-forests.html

Disastrous encroachment to the typical habitant of mountain gorillas.  

Therefore the survey revealed that, if the stakeholders of Uganda hesitantly pay a deaf ear to this deforestation scenario the nation is rapidly losing the faunas and floras and other resources which are the main backward linkages of tourism business which contribute to Uganda’s economy. However much agriculture is the main income earner to the local communities. Tourism should be much valued because cut across all sectors in forward and backward linkages. Therefore all stakeholders should be involved in conservation campaigns if Uganda is to remain “pearl of Africa”.

Several campaigns like plant a tree should be sensitized and provided by government and other environmental agencies to local communities that as they cut to cultivate more trees should be re-planted for future generations, community based projects like nature trails, craft shops should initiated and locals involved at a big percentage to earn income and driven away from deforestation, the buffer zone system  which is a 4 sector zoning that is Tourism sector, Research sector, Building sector and Area for locals to access materials should be launched to all these reserves, benefit sharing from the products like timbers  from the reserves should be extended to locals and the message “save for the future” need to be deeply extended to young generations in schools or institutions.