Uganda: Redefining conservation to sustain forest resources
For hundreds of years, the Benet people have been forest dwellers, deriving their livelihoods from the forested landscape of Mt. Elgon in Uganda. But in 1983, The Government declared Mount Elgon a National Park, evicted the Benet communities and resettled them outside the forest.
During the past 30 years, the situation between the Benet communities and the Government has been tense. Population increases in the resettled areas led to overuse and land degradation, resulting in increased poverty. Reduced livelihood options and belief in their ancestral rights led the Benet communities to illegally encroach on, and exploit, the resources of Mt Elgon National Park itself for survival. It has been a classic case of traditional conservation approaches not working.
Since 2007, IUCN has intensified its technical involvement in Mt. Elgon through its Livelihoods and Landscapes Initiative. IUCN facilitated, multi-stakeholder decisions are now redefining conservation, and the future of Mt Elgon, by allowing the:
- Establishment of a buffer zone around the National Park that addresses problems related to boundary disputes, access to forest resources, illegal hunting and grazing
- Promotion of livelihood improvements within the buffer zone and the adjacent landscapes, through activities such as planting high value fruit trees, backyard vegetable gardening, apiculture and eco-tourism-related services
- Empowerment of local communities to formulate forest resource management policies and byelaws that secure rights to their own investments, reduce conflict with park management authorities and which are integrated into local and national development plans. CONSERVATION PROGRAMME
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Contact
For more information, please contact IUCN:
Barbara Nakangu
Barbara.Nakangu@iucn.org
Edmund Barrow
Edmund.Barrow@iucn.org
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