ISSUE 3
UGANDA
MATTERS
© Gustav Gonget www.graphiconsult.com
Magazine of the
The reality of living with elephants
Greater Dura recovery - immediate impact!
Hip-hippo-hooray - Waterways expands
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!
we couldn’t achieve any of this without your support
We were delighted to welcome Ginny Busch and
Julie Scardina from SeaWorld Busch Gardens
Conservation Fund to hand over a new – more
powerful - boat engine to Tom Okello at the
Uganda Wildlife Authority’s Queen Elizabeth
National Park headquarters. Also pictured are
UCF’s Michael Keigwin and Patrick Agaba.
Two more boat engines will be handed to UWA
in 2011.
Julie Scardina recently wrote:
Corporate members:
•
•
•
•
•
Adrift Adventure
Company
Classic Africa Safaris
Computer Facilities
DHL
GraphiConsult (U) Ltd.
•
•
•
•
•
Ndali Lodge
On Course 4 WD
Consultancy
Petro Uganda Ltd
The Eye Magazine
The Far Horizons
“UCF has helped the SeaWorld &
Busch Gardens Conservation Fund
reach critical areas and species in
Uganda and have a real impact
for wildlife and people. There are
few organizations as lean yet as
effective as UCF, so we know our
dollars are making a difference and
the conservation goals set, attained.
Thank you!”
‘Saving critically endangered mammals in their wild habitat and benefiting the local people who share their environment’
The David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, 61 Smithbrook Kilns, Cranleigh, Surrey, GU6 8JJ, UK.
Tel: 01483 272323 Fax: 01483 272427 E-Mail:[email protected] Website: www.davidshepherd.org
Patron: HRH Prince Michael of Kent GCVO Trustees: Nigel Colne CBE, Nigel Keen, Bruce Norris, Avril Shepherd
President/Founder: David Shepherd OBE FRSA. Honorary Vice Presidents: Mark Carwardine, David Gower OBE, Gary Lineker OBE, Mandy Shepherd
DSWF is a charity (Registered No. 1106893) and a Company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (Company No. 4918382) VAT Reg No. 414001815
Registered office: 50 Broadway, London, SW1H 0BL
Following a presentation on the Greater Dura project to the BBC Wildlife Fund, Bill Oddie, the
British comedian and a respected bird watcher, paid UCF a huge compliment:
“Thank you not only for attending but also presenting your project. I was
not alone in being amazed at the work you guys do out in Uganda and we
are delighted to be able to contribute a little to the success of the project.”
Such comments are a real boost for everyone working on the ground and very much
appreciated.
Another boat station joins our Waterways network!
Pictured are UCF-trained marine ranger Mwanje Abu Baker
with our Project Officer Erik Acanakwo at Kahendero,
northern Lake George, our fourth ranger marine station in
Queen Elizabeth Protected Area. The marine rangers are
now intercepting poachers on remote stretches of northern
Lake George, critical in our recovery of Greater Dura.
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WELCOME, OLD FRIENDS & NEW
This year we are celebrating our 10th Birthday and we
are delighted to produce this, our third issue of Uganda
Matters. Wherever you are reading this, we hope you
enjoy reading about our projects and choose to get
involved with UCF.
Looking back over the past decade, UCF has much to
be proud of. The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA)
and UCF-stimulated recovery of Ishasha in southern
Queen Elizabeth National Park was extraordinary, and
the area now hosts the largest number of elephant
in the Albertine Rift. Whilst our efforts in Ishasha
continue, our focus is now on the recovery of the
400km² Greater Dura area further north in Queen
Elizabeth. We continue to run the Waterways project,
the expanding PACE (Pan African Conservation
Education) programme, and our work with UWA and
the University of Washington to provide a DNA profile
of Uganda’s elephants and their ivory.
Ensuring that 90% of all funds received by UCF go
directly into field action is something we continue
to uphold. Our small team and volunteer Directors in
Uganda and Trustees in the UK work hard to ensure we
deliver value for money and deliver on our promises.
This year UCF welcomes Suzy Fox to the Board of
Trustees, Patrick Shah, Andy Roberts and David Porter
to the Board of Directors, and forester Erik Acanakwo
to the team as Project Officer. Erik has just completed
his MSc at Makerere University, focusing on the Otzi
Wildlife Reserve on the Uganda – Sudan border. He
brings much to UCF, including bundles of enthusiasm
and a great sense of humour.
Incredibly important to us all is our close partnership
with UWA. We hope you enjoy our feature on page 12
introducing some of the UWA staff we work closely
with. In 2009/10, UCF developed its own five year
strategy, and did so in close collaboration with UWA.
The strategy was very well received by all of our
partners and provides us all with a clear direction.
UWA has undoubtedly had a very difficult and highly
political few years. As that rumbles on, we would urge
everyone to remember that in the parks, work carries on
as usual and the brave rangers continue their daily battle
to counter the large upsurge in elephant poaching for
ivory, whilst working closely with the local communities
to mitigate elephant crop raiding and ensuring that our
tourism experience is as wonderful as it should be.
Finally we would like to thank our wonderful donors
and our growing membership. We are hugely proud to
represent so many wonderful and diverse organisations,
companies and people.
Above all, UCF is yours and if you would like to be
involved, we would love to welcome you on board.
Become a Fan of UCF, go to
www.facebook.com/
UgandaConservationFoundationUCF
Global upsurge in poaching elephants for ivory
- UCF keeps the pressure on
In our last newsletter we were proud to tell you about how
we are working with UWA, INTERPOL and the University of
Seattle to combat the massive surge in the ivory trade.
Ivory poaching is happening across Africa - and Uganda is no exception. There is
increasing evidence of Chinese involvement in the ivory trade, for example in May
2011, a Chinese national was arrested at Entebbe airport with ivory jewellery, chop
sticks and sculptures, one of four such cases, unprecedented within recent years.
This one-off project to map African elephant DNA has never been more urgent,
because it helps law enforcement agents track the smuggling route of confiscated
ivory directly back to its origins - the DNA in the ivory is effectively a fingerprint
which can be matched on the database to the location of that DNA in already
mapped populations.
The first wave of dung samples unearthed an exciting discovery: proof of
hybridisation of Forest and Savannah elephants!
An added benefit of the elephant DNA project is that it forces the team to go
into remote areas they wouldn’t normally patrol, away from the tourist areas and
therefore map the presence (or absence) of elephant populations. All data collected
will then feed into the African Elephant Database (a pan African database run by
the African Elephant Specialist Group, part of IUCN).
Special thanks to Rufford Maurice Laing, DHL and a personal donation for
providing the funding to allow us to complete this ground-breaking project.
keep up to date with ucf • visit www.ugandacf.org
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NEWS SNIPPETS
Question: How many hippos are there in Queen Elizabeth?
One of the highlights of 2010 was the UCF-sponsored biannual hippo survey of QEPA – a vast area
measuring 1978km2 - carried out jointly with the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). Hippo remain the most
poached animal and this sometimes risky field exercise was crucial in making sure UWA is patrolling the
areas most at risk from poachers.
Answer: 5,233 (40 years ago there were as many as 30,000). We noted that nearly all hippo (mud
bathing) pools have dried up and are empty. UCF is currently researching the reason for this. Hippo are
unevenly distributed, notably there were lower numbers closer to the DRC and to community areas,
identifying clear threats to the animals across the Protected Area.
Our friends at SeaWorld Busch Gardens very generously funded the survey and UCF’s Project Manager
Patrick Agaba joined the team. His marine ranger training enabled Patrick to be a very useful member of the
hippo survey team.
The border with the DRC (Congo),
and birthplace of UCF: once
patrolled by soldiers, now patrolled
by rangers with clipboards,
following pods of hippos
Read the full hippo survey report online at: www.ugandacf.org, or view the photo album on Facebook.
DID
YOU
KNOW?
Hippos are classified as a vulnerable species by the IUCN
(International Union for Conservation of Nature). They hardly
look capable of it, but they can bolt out of the water at you, like
a shot – just ask Patrick!
How did the Waterways
project help the hippo survey?
“I don’t know how we’d have
managed without the boats
provided by UCF” commented
Charles Tumwesigye, UWA’s
Deputy Director Field
Operations.
Anthrax outbreaks occur naturally.
2010’s Anthrax outbreak, in which
138 hippo died, was a timely reminder
of how vulnerable this species is. The
hippo survey also helped UWA identify
hotspots of disease and where it might
spread to next.
© Uganda Wildlife Authority
Without support from donors who
have helped us develop the Waterways
project since 2006, it would have been
impossible to undertake a full survey;
neither would UWA have had the boats
and trained marine rangers available
to dispose of Anthrax-infected hippo
carcasses as quickly as they did.
Word of UCF gets around!
Enid Kakooko, UCF’s Finance & Administration Officer, was lucky
enough to bump into British actress and charity activist Joanna
Lumley in Murchison Falls National Park. Joanna was here working on
a TV series on the Nile. MFNP is home to elephant, hippo, Rothschild’s
giraffe, the funky Jackson’s Hartebeest, crocodiles and sensational
birdlife such as the rare shoebill stork.
Based on our success in Queen Elizabeth National Park, UCF has
been asked to start work in Murchison Falls. Follow UCF online for
developments!
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PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
More firsts for UCF! Recovering the Greater Dura area
An excited team of Uganda Wildlife Authority management and rangers pictured with UCF staff and
directors outside our first ranger post, at Kahendero in QEPA. Read how UCF’s two new ranger posts
support the Greater Dura project. The week-end field trip was the perfect opportunity to plan the next
stages of Greater Dura recovery and to discuss UCF’s 5 year strategic plan. It’s all happening!
READ THE FULL STORY ON PAGE 6
The Waterways Project gets bigger and better
A bigger boat, bigger engines, a wider network and more training –
the impact of the Waterways project expands.
READ THE FULL STORY ON PAGE 10
What do you do if you have an elephant in your garden?
In Ishasha, elephants can cause more damage to crops than any other animal - what they don’t eat,
they trample! – leaving vulnerable subsistence farmers struggling to feed their families.
What’s more, elephants threaten human lives too.
READ THE FULL STORY ON PAGE 11
Introducing the Uganda Wildlife Authority
Introducing the Uganda Wildlife Authority, our partner in the field. Meet some of the key people that
we work with at head office and in the field.
These guys do a fantastic job - hear what they say about working with UCF too.
READ THE FULL STORY ON PAGE 12
Good environmental practices set to spread across East Africa
A success in so many ways – and its real impact is yet to be felt!
Thanks to the PACE project, Uganda now has the technology and resources to help make schools
– their pupils and the wider community – greener, healthier and better educated. The solutions are
surprisingly affordable too.
READ THE FULL STORY ON PAGE 14
Putting the fun into fundraising for UCF!
A wildlife photography auction, the London Marathon, white water rafting, pantomime horse racing
– whatever next?!
Huge thanks go out to all our Trustees and supporters who have been incredibly busy in both the UK
and Uganda fundraising and helping to raise awareness of conservation issues in Uganda.
READ THE FULL STORY ON PAGE 16
keep up to date with ucf • visit www.ugandacf.org
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GREATER DURA -
KEY PROJECT
Construction of ranger
accommodation and
expansion of operations into
a major new area – another
first for UCF
The Greater Dura project in Queen
Elizabeth Protected Area (QEPA).
Patrolling Greater Dura and the most northerly area of QEPA
– on land and water – has been totally transformed thanks to
construction of the UCF-funded Kasese and Kahendero ranger
posts. These two posts which form a base for UWA’s mobile patrols
as well as home to 10 UWA rangers and their families, are part of
the strategic network that includes the Kashaka and Kahendero
marine ranger stations on Lake George, the Mweya station on the
Kazinga Channel and the Rwenshama station on Lake Edward.
The wildlife of Greater Dura, a Ramsar site and UNESCO Biosphere
reserve, has been virtually wiped out over the past 40 years.
Delighted UWA rangers with UCF’s Mike Keigwin at the handover
of the second ranger post in Kasese.
Historically, only 1% of UWA’s resources were allocated to
patrolling Dura. Now however, with rangers stationed in the heart
of the area, regular patrols are taking place and the message is
going out loud and clear: poaching days are numbered.
As part of the ambitious project to recover the 400km2 of Greater
Dura, work has started to remove snares and dismantle poacher
camps. A team of 15 ex-poachers was employed for three days
to cut access trails through impenetrable bush-land to encourage
elephants - the ‘architects of the habitat’ – to return. Not for the
This poacher was caught red-handed, equidistant between our two new ranger posts, carving up a buffalo killed using spears and dogs.
DID YOU
KNOW?
Recovery of this extensive
corridor could provide
Uganda with the single
largest increase in wildlife
numbers.
DID YOU
KNOW?
Greater Dura is a critical
‘genetic’ connection in the
largest contiguous series of
Protected Areas in Africa and
the most biodiverse, stretching
from Virunga National Park in
the Congo to Kibale Forest.
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D
BUN
GREATER DURA faint-hearted, the work day started with a two hour
walk into the bush, accompanied for protection by
armed UWA rangers. The dense bush was cut (in
temperatures of 35 degrees) by hand, using pangas
(machetes). Rangers can now patrol easily, and
clear snares in preparation for the return of the
elephants in particular. As the project progresses,
more trails will be cut deeper into the bush.
KASESE
KASES
ESE
2
Lake
Lak
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George
Geor
gee
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4
1 Kahendero
3
2
ga
zin el
Ka ann
Ch
La
Lake
ake
Edward
Edw
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Operational
Operational
Construction 2011
Operational
Operational
Operational
Operational
2 Kasese
3 Kyondo
SE M
BA
1 Kahendero
2 Kashaka
Queen Elizabeth
National Park
Boundary
Ranger Post/Accommodation
Waterways Project
Marine Ranger Station
3 Mweya
4 Rwenshama
MBARARA
The success of the Waterways project (page 10) and its ability to tackle illegal activities
on remote land areas via water access, is a key element to our efforts to recover Greater Dura.
R
KISO
O
Poaching is still rife, as UCF’s Erik Acanakwo witnessed while
undertaking fieldwork. The arrest of a well-known poacher in
UCFs presence proves what an impact our investment is already
having and bodes well for this area, once home to large numbers
of elephants and other wildlife. UCF’s plan for Greater Dura is to
reconnect QEPA with Kibale Forest National Park (KFNP) through
the Kibale Corridor. Wildlife in both areas desperately needs the
currently uninhabited Greater Dura, poached out in the 1970s
and left virtually unpatrolled since then, to be opened up for free
passage between these Protected Areas.
Both Central QEPA and KFNP are under severe pressure from
agriculture. Both areas are surrounded by densely populated
subsistence farms and, in some areas, large scale cattle farms.
WhereNTUNGAMO
wildlife populations are recovering, there is increased
pressure on the habitat and
an increase in human wildlife
interaction, such as a loss
of crops to elephants and
poisoning of lions by cattle
KABALE
farmers.
Greater Dura is key to
the movement of wildlife
between the two areas.
RI
NGI
RUKU
U
Our long-term aim is to return the habitat to the open savannah
we see elsewhere in QEPA, able to sustain kobs, lions and all
manner of wildlife and increasing the potential long-term benefits
to tourism development and the local economy.
Caught red-handed!
KYENJOJO
GREAT
GREATER
EAT
TE
T
ER
DURA
A
1 DURA
UNG
K AN
The elephants’ destructive force – eating and
uprooting trees – along with the distinctive grazing
patterns of buffalo and hippo, are vital for opening
up the area to a wider selection of animals,
birds and invertebrates. In fact, their presence
controls the habitat for all species: herbivores and
carnivores. Once these ‘destructive feeders’ have
reduced the habitat to the right level, kobs and
other smaller mammals will be able to nibble the
lower vegetation. We will therefore be maximising
the impact of the animals, rather than relying on
human intervention, although manual cutting of bush
and controlled fire will play their part in forcing the
habitat’s recovery.
KEY PROJECT
Evidence of carnivores!
Making a
positive impact – even before
construction started!
UWA recognised the need to station rangers in Greater Dura, to
deter the poaching groups and to clear all the snares. To make this
happen, required the building of ranger posts in strategic areas
to enable rangers to support law enforcement and community
work. UCF has already completed the construction of Kahendero 4
man ranger post and the Kasese 6 man ranger post 30km further
north, both bases for permanent and mobile rangers. Work starts
soon on Kyondo ranger station, the most northerly post, in the
area connecting to Kibale Forest. With rangers in place, it’s now
possible to break the cycle.
Impressively, UWA started working with the poacher groups even
before the rangers were stationed in the new ranger posts and
successfully encouraged 400 poachers to stop poaching and hand in
their weapons. Quite an impact! Working alongside the ex-poachers
is incredibly useful: the poachers know the area better than anyone
(UWA have not had the resources to patrol Greater Dura for 40 years).
Local men carried the remainder of the buffalo to Kasese
Today, there are believed to be fewer than ten elephants in
the area. In a 20 day period, for instance, we found elephant
droppings and the tell-tale sign of an uprooted Acacia sieberiana
but not a single actual elephant.
UCF has supported these groups by employing them in fieldwork
wherever possible. For example, 25 ex-poachers were employed to
clear a 100m2 area of Papyrus for the new marine ranger station.
Community sensitisation will continue, possibly through local
schools; encouraging the younger generation to break the cycle
of poaching. UWA and UCF are also actively working with the
community to develop projects in areas potentially vulnerable to
crop raiding, developing relations and monitoring the situation.
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BU
L
KEY PROJECT
© Andrew Gooch www.andygooch.co.uk
GREATER DURA -
This simple ranger accommodation is a
major improvement, comprising rooms for
six rangers and their families, with kitchen,
toilet and shower block.
The rainwater storage system make the posts
more self-sufficient: fewer daytime hours
are wasted fetching water, thereby freeing
more time for patrolling. The covered tank
helps reduce Malaria (the larvae breed in
uncovered water). Rangers are happy to
share the water supply with local people – it
means they are less likely to be poisoned by
disgruntled poachers too!
DID YOU
KNOW?
The area still has chimps.
Elephants and chimps
are both protected under
Appendix 1 of CITES.
Fabulous black and white colobus monkey, native to Uganda.
Inset: confiscated spears and the skin of a victim.
Making our presence felt: data from law enforcement
According to the most recently published data, 107 arrests were made for illegal activity
in the Protected Area. 72 of the suspects were convicted, with sentences varying from 1 to
36 months. Confiscated items included marine (illegal fishing nets, hooks and boats) and
poaching equipment (snares, spears, machetes and dogs). Evidence of poaching included 12 kg
of ivory, 90 kg of hippo meat, 80 kg of buffalo meat and 95 snares. Quite a haul!
Donors supporting this project are the BBC Wildlife Fund, David
Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, International Elephant Foundation,
SeaWorld Busch Gardens Conservation Fund and Tusk Trust. Special
thanks to the US Fish and Wildlife Service whose support enabled
us to bring together the elephant, habitat and recovery plans,
crucial to help UWA incorporate Greater Dura into their General
Management and Operations Plans for the first time ever.
DID YOU SEE?
Illegal cattle grazing in the park is tightly
monitored now the rangers are stationed at
Kahendero.
Where once the area was a dustbowl, now
the grass grows lush, encouraging back 500
kob on one occasion. A lion has since been
sighted.
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“Chimps of the
Lost Gorge,” a
BBC Natural World
programme featured
chimps from
Kyambura Gorge,
in central Queen
Elizabeth, whose
habitat is gradually
disappearing.
GREATER DURA -
KEY PROJECT
SNAPSHOT OF PROJECT PROGRESS
• Infrastructure constructed
• Construction and equipping of marine ranger station at Kahendero, UCF’s fourth in Queen
Elizabeth Protected Area
• Construction of two new ranger posts, basing ten rangers permanently in the heart of
Greater Dura, and offering facilities for mobile patrol teams
• Construction of a third ranger post starts very soon
• Equipment provided
• Bigger boat (22ft Panga) with bigger engine now on patrol
• Two new bicycles per ranger post; 4 tents provided to the mobile patrols
• A mosquito net and gum boots for every ranger and warden across QEPA
• Research undertaken
• Baseline research, habitat and elephant recovery plans completed
ONGOING ACTIVITY
•
•
•
•
Poaching reduced: daily law enforcement patrols and snare removal
Cutting trails through dense bush to encourage wildlife – particularly elephants – back in
Sensitisation through education, meetings and alternative income opportunities
Expanding research and monitoring in the sector, including research into Africa’s largest
pelican colony, an indicator species
• Development of Recovery Plan with the Uganda Wildlife Authority
Caught in a trap
Sadly bushmeat poaching in Uganda
is rife. However, snares set for
smaller animals are also a serious
threat to elephants. Wire snares are
indiscriminate. They capture, maim and
ultimately can kill: wire can get tightly
wrapped around an elephant’s trunk for
example; in Kibale, a staggering 30% of
chimpanzees have limbs missing because
of snares.
As part of the Greater Dura recovery
project, we are collecting and destroying
every snare we find but it can be
dangerous work and we rely on the
cooperation of ex-poachers to show us
where the snares are located.
IMPACT! IN TIME, THESE MEASURES WILL:
• Connect central Queen Elizabeth, Greater Dura and Kibale Forest, allowing safe migration
of animals to make full use of the 400km2 area
• Release pressure on humans in Kibale and Central Queen Elizabeth
• Release pressure on wildlife, reducing crop raiding
• Become the biggest inclusive area for elephant conservation in south western Uganda
• Offer extensive tourism opportunities across the area in the future
Creating space for wildlife
UCF employed a team of ex-poachers to cut through the dense bush to create trails for ranger
patrols and wildlife access. Within a fortnight, buffalo, hippo and elephants were seen using
the new trail. More trails are planned.
40 years without the presence of ‘destructive feeders’ has resulted in dense vegetation, which
prevents animals from accessing the ideal habitat further inside the area, perfect for kobs, for
example.
Before
After
Stop press!
Look what Michael found when he was
on safari in Murchison Falls Protected
Area!
A mighty elephant, felled by a simple
wire snare. Unable to walk to reach
water, the animal (which needs to drink
a phenomenal 225 litres of water a day)
would have quickly dehydrated.
Michael says: “Two weeks ago I found
an elephant with a snare caught tightly
around its leg. The snare had cut 6 cm
deep into the elephant’s leg. The Uganda
Wildlife Authority vet and I managed to
track the elephant, dart it and remove
the snare. Thankfully the elephant has
made a good recovery but many don’t.”
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WATERWAYS UPDATE
DID YOU KNOW?
The problem
The hippo is Africa’s most dangerous mammal
© Charlotte Watson www.charlottewatson.co.uk
Much of Queen Elizabeth Protected Area (QEPA)’s vast 1978 km2
is dominated by rivers and lakes. With 11 fishing villages dotted
throughout QEPA, high levels of poaching and smuggling of
bushmeat and ivory have passed unchallenged, with poachers
taking easy advantage of UWA’s inability to apprehend them. With
so much illegal activity happening on the water, UWA needed to
launch operations on the waterways.
The solution
Launched in 2006, UCF’s Waterways project is designed to work on
three fronts: law enforcement, safety and rescue and community
work. The QEPA network now has four boat stations and 30 marine
rangers qualified in boat handling, maintenance and first aid.
Waterborne patrols can:
• cover greater areas and stop more poachers
• intercept bushmeat smuggling and ivory trafficking from the
DR Congo
• clamp down on illegal fishing practices, thereby protecting fish
stocks and improving the fishing economy for legal fishermen
• respond to accidents and offer lifesaving services
What next?
New areas patrolled - Snares and poachers’ ‘meat smoking sites’
are now being cleared by patrols along the Ugandan shores of Lake
Edward and the shorelines and remote islands of Lake George - a
first for UWA. But we’d like to do even more!
Better coordination between land and marine trainers - In 2011,
UCF will be running training exercises, training more rangers
and providing advanced training to the 30 who qualified in 2008,
ramping up coordination between land and marine operations to
make the network operate at its full capacity.
Hippos = Dung = Algae = Fish, explains why fishermen fish so close
to hippo (equation courtesy of Andy Roberts, UCF Director, author of
‘The Great Rift Valley’ and co-author of the Uganda Bradt Guide).
As before, at the request of UWA, we will invite rangers from
Murchison Falls and Lake Mburo Protected Areas to take part.
Donors supporting the Waterways project include Tusk Trust,
David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, the International Elephant
Foundation and the BBC Wildlife Fund.
UCF is particularly indebted to Petro Uganda who have contributed
to our field trips to Queen Elizabeth National Park from our earliest
days as Elephants, Crops and People, when Michael would load
up his vehicle with drums of fuel and head off to Ishasha. Petro
Uganda fuelled the boats for the first marine ranger training.
Might is right! - impact of the new bigger boat
UCF and UWA are particularly grateful to the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation
for funding a bigger boat, which is now based at Mweya. This bigger boat supports
the whole UCF marine ranger station network, and is also a much safer boat for
negotiating the choppy waters of Lake Edward. It can cover greater distances, thanks
to the 25HP engine, and UWA can organise bigger patrols, for instance splitting the
group into two so they can tactically deploy different groups for a common purpose.
Arrested poachers can all be transported back to
land in one go now, avoiding a situation in which
a ranger, left behind to guard several poachers,
could potentially be overpowered. This was a
particular concern in remote areas like Greater
Dura, where resistance to law enforcement is high
and poachers have been unchallenged for decades.
For the first time ever, UWA have been able to
reach the remote islands on Lake George where
they dismantled a bushmeat poaching camp.
School children watch UWA Marine Rangers take
the new Panga boat out on its first trip. The free
lake rescue service offered by the Waterways
project is one of a kind: not only does it support
tourism but it is of invaluable benefit to the
community, rescuing fishermen and sadly, on
occasion, retrieving bodies. Very few Ugandans
can swim and drowning is shockingly common.
DID YOU
KNOW?
For the first time ever, the
marine and land-based rangers
will carry out military-style
training exercises with the
mentoring of professionals,
thanks to UCF and our donors.
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The reality of living with elephants – not
as much fun as you might think
Ten farmers have been trained in bee-keeping and 40 hives delivered
to neighbouring Kikarara. We now wait for the bees to take up
residence! We’ll keep you posted on how this pilot project goes.
What’s the answer?
What have we done so far?
There is no single sustainable solution to crop-raiding. Traditional
methods of scaring elephants (by loud noises, for example) aren’t
that effective, so UCF is using alternative
solutions. In Ishasha and Kikarara in
southern Queen Elizabeth, well-maintained
trenches and fencing prove to be effective
barriers; however, maintenance of trenches
is difficult and the costs of fencing have
escalated.
• Three years’ intensive monitoring of elephant movements
• The establishment of park/community committees to agree
ways of working together
• Excavation of 30 km of trench
• Fencing of 13 valleys
• Job creation: employment of local people
• Launch of pilot bee-keeping project
Interesting research from Kenya suggests
that elephants shy away from angry bees.
UCF is therefore testing bee-keeping
as a deterrent, placing a concentration
of hives in the vulnerable valley areas
(where, because of the loose soil and water
levels, trenches cannot be dug). Even if
bee-keeping isn’t as effective as a 2 metre
deep trench, it has the great attraction
that it offers farmers (many of whom are
former poachers) a much-needed additional
income and food source. This in turn helps
improve the relationship between the
community and the conservationists.
© Charlotte Watson www.charlottewatson.co.uk
HUMAN WILDLIFE CONFLICT
In many ways the greatest result has been seeing the community
and UWA working together. Before the trench, rangers viewed all
villagers as poachers, while the villagers felt real resentment for
the park and conservation in general.
This is where you spend
the night – every night
– when you’re guarding
your crops. Wet or dry,
this farmer sits in his field
waiting for elephants
when he should be at
home with his family.
This lady farmer, Theresa, is bringing up three children
on her own. Her husband died of malaria, contracted
while he was in the fields guarding the family’s crops.
This is a very common story. These women are now
protected by the trench and their lives have improved
significantly - hence the smiles!
Community sensitisation - hand in hand with UWA’s
community conservation wardens - is a key part
of managing human wildlife conflict and therefore
community conservation
Donors who have helped make these effective solutions possible include David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, SeaWorld Busch
Gardens Conservation Fund, International Elephant Foundation and Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund. Thank you all!
View from the village
All the signs are there - the nine villages of Kikarara Parish, protected by a trench, are prospering: new houses
are being built, a new primary school has opened and newly harvested maize is drying in the sun.
“Villagers now have enough food to eat, some to store and a surplus to sell”. This is a major development in
what is traditionally a subsistence community.
Previously there was no income to pay school fees or buy uniforms or exercise books. Children who go hungry
don’t perform well in school either. In areas close to the trench, villagers can now rest home at night, secure in
the knowledge their crops and property are safe from possible destruction by elephants; and the incidence of
malaria has decreased dramatically now families aren’t sleeping in the fields at night guarding crops.
Thanks to the trench, families are enjoying much better health, are diversifying their crops, and educational
attendance has shot up. Improved food security means there is less need for poaching or retaliatory killings
of raiding animals, and the better understanding with UWA promotes a greater appreciation of the benefits of
conservation. Huge results from such simple measures!
keep up to date with ucf • visit www.ugandacf.org
11
UGANDA WILDLIFE AUTHORITY
Introducing the Uganda Wildlife Authority – our partner in the field
We’re delighted that our relationship with the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) goes from strength to strength. We’ve been working together for
ten years now, across the country, and in 2009 signed a Memorandum of Understanding which formalises our strong partnership.
Our aims are essentially the same: to protect Uganda’s wildlife for future generations to enjoy. UCF’s work would not be possible without the
cooperation of UWA - and our support has been acknowledged as contributing tremendously towards conservation of wildlife resources.
Despite widely reported issues at UWA Head Office, UCF was largely unaffected by the various staff changes. The practical nature of UCF’s
approach, at grassroots level, means that relationships with the rangers and the local community are key to implementing our projects; that’s why
in 2011 we’ve been focusing on simple measures such as making sure that the rangers have the protection of mosquito nets and boots, tents for
mobile patrols, and that every ranger post in Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area has two bicycles.
Andrew Seguya, Acting Executive Director
“I’m thrilled to take over the running of UWA. It’s been a difficult time but we’re very proud of the improvements in wildlife and
tourism over the past decade. There are many challenges, different in each Protected Area, and indeed within our own organisation,
but we’re committed to ‘Conserving for generations.’ I’ve inherited a wonderful partnership with UCF and have been informed by
my teams how proactive UCF are. Do please keep supporting Uganda and all of our efforts - your support is valued hugely. We look
forward to welcoming you in Uganda.”
Charles Tumwesigye, Deputy Director Field Operations
“I worked with Michael (UCF’s Founder Director) in Queen Elizabeth ten years ago when I was Warden in charge of
Research and Monitoring, and he was researching elephants and helping us sort out Ishasha. There are lots of stories I can
tell you about Michael - but you’ll have to ask me privately!”
Here Charles is pictured with fellow UWA staff Agnes Nakidde and Dr. Margaret Driricu.
Patrick Atimnedi, Veterinary Coordinator
“UCF is one of the few organisations that know the field well, making it easy for us to work together, particularly
on the dung collection for the elephant DNA project.”
Patrick’s skills are in high demand; unfortunately, he frequently has to travel to the parks to rescue snared animals.
Here Patrick is collecting data for the Elephant DNA Project.
Tom Okello, Conservation Area Manager, Murchison Falls Protected Area, N. Uganda
Tom Okello, who was Conservation Area Manager for Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area from 2005 to 2010, has a close
relationship with UCF. We’ve worked on a number of projects together, from the elephant trenches in Ishasha, to the
Waterways project, and – most recently – the Greater Dura recovery project. Tom says “the Marine Ranger training carried
out in 2008 was the single most worthwhile contribution UCF has made to QECA. When you run the programme again this
year, we would love UCF to include the rangers from Murchison again.”
Here Tom receives the keys to the first UCF funded ranger post at Kahendero.
Community Conservation Warden Kagoro Wilson
has been enormously helpful in developing community/park relations across Queen Elizabeth Protected Area.
Here Wilson is outside the old UWA headquarters on the Mweya Peninsula, preparing to head off for a community
conservation meeting.
Guma Nelson, Conservation Area Manager for Queen Elizabeth
Conservation Area
at the opening of the Kasese ranger post thanking UCF and our donors for our support.
Here Guma is with UCF’s founder director Michael Keigwin at the opening of the second UCF funded ranger
accommodation at Kasese.
UWA rangers and UCF’s Patrick Agaba
(pictured centre)
working together on the biannual hippo survey.
A serious looking bunch! We pity the poachers who run into these guys.
12
keep up to date with ucf • visit www.ugandacf.org
UCF DEVELOPMENTS
Ten years in the field and planning for
the future
2010 marked the year when UCF formalised many of our strategic
aims - through the development of a Five Year Strategic Plan,
which received overwhelmingly positive buy-in from UWA’s
Conservation Area Managers. Everyone at UCF had input into this
process: the Trustees, Directors and Kampala office staff. Particular
thanks are due to Trustee James Acworth, a Forestry Consultant
at the World Bank and Director Harriet Fowler for hosting us and
feeding us a gargantuan working breakfast!
Our Trustees and Directors come from a variety of backgrounds:
conservation, academic, business, tourism, consulting and
development. This diversity is what makes our team so strong.
Pictured recently in Kampala
are (from left):
Julia Lloyd,
Lilly Ajarova,
Andrew Roberts,
Harriet Fowler,
Patrick Agaba,
Enid Kakooko,
Jane Adong Anywar,
Patrick Shah,
Charlotte Beauvoisin,
Justice David Porter
(Chairman)
Names of directors shown
in bold
Read a short biography of our team members
at www.ugandacf.org
The goal of the Uganda Conservation Foundation:
to secure wildlife populations through habitat management and
community development.
UCF’s primary objectives are to:
1. Recover and reconnect under resourced Protected Areas
2. Support anti-poaching law enforcement activity
3. Mitigate Human Wildlife Conflict
4. Improve livelihoods of communities close to Protected Areas
5. Engage with stakeholders (through public sensitisation and
community environmental education)
We believe we’re successful because we:
• are proactive
• implement practical solutions
• offer long-term support
• work closely with communities
• nurture close relationships with donors
• help fill UWA’s funding gaps
• provide project management support to other conservation
donors / organisations
• build partnerships with other organisations
UCF is fortunate to have had long-term support from David
Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, Voluntary Service Overseas, British
Airways, Rufford Maurice Laing, Tusk Trust, International Elephant
Foundation, SeaWorld Busch Gardens, Petro Uganda and countless
individuals. This list is not exhaustive and is growing rapidly.
Investing in the conservationists of the future
Putting Uganda on the map
Monitoring the recovery of Greater Dura will be the subject of a PhD by UCF’s
Project Officer Erik Acanakwo (supervised by Professor Colin Chapman, McGill
University, and Dr Fred Babweteera, UCF Director and Makerere University lecturer).
The research will monitor changes in wildlife populations and their impact on
vegetation cover.
UCF’s contribution to development of “The
Great Rift – Africa’s Greatest Story” has
been acknowledged by Verity White, series
producer at the BBC Natural History Unit.
And yet another First - Congratulations Susan!
We’re delighted to tell you that Susan Kyasiimire
graduated with First Class Honours, top of the
hundred students in her class. Susan’s studies were
financed by an International Leadership and Capacity
Building (ILCB) bursary supported by Royal Dutch
Shell plc and the Royal Geographical Society, for
which she was nominated by UCF.
UCF then helped Susan develop her proposal and
plan her research and shared project management
skills, particularly in relation to the fieldwork element.
Working with the RGS and UCF has also exposed her
to working with international organisations, and with
people from different cultural backgrounds which
have shown her different ways of working.
Susan was born in a small town in the vicinity
of Bwindi, a very remote corner of south western
Uganda, home to the famous Mountain Gorillas. She
is only the second young woman in her community
to have gone on to tertiary education, making Susan
a great role model. Studies show that well educated
women tend to have smaller families (Uganda has
recorded the third highest birth rate in the world) and
are more likely to encourage their children to stay on
in education as long as possible.
Unemployment amongst Ugandan graduates is
currently at 75%. Undeterred Susan worked at a
lodge on the edge of Bwindi Forest Impenetrable Park
(BINP) while also researching waste management in
BINP because of the potential for gorillas to contract
disease from human rubbish and waste. Susan has
recently joined Conservation Through Public Health
and plans to do a Masters and develop her study of
the conservation benefits of indigenous knowledge.
Susan is a very enthusiastic supporter of UCF. The
support of young Ugandans is crucial for improving
environmental management within the country.
keep up to date with ucf • visit www.ugandacf.org
13
STEPPING UP THE
Ripple of influence set to become a wave
Rainwater collection tanks and fuel-efficient stoves have
drastically reduced the water and fuel bills of the PACE (Pan
African Conservation Education) demonstration project at a
teacher training college outside Kampala. These very simple – and
cheap – technologies can easily be used in schools (and other
institutions) across Uganda. What
we at UCF love about the project
Benefits
is its potential to revolutionise the
way Ugandans interact with the
Collect rainwater =
environment.
save money, save time,
reduce soil erosion and
At the PACE demonstration project
dangerous accidents
at St. John the Baptist Primary
teachers College, Ggaba, student
Composting toilets =
teachers enjoy free, clean water.
healthy students take less
Permaculture continues with
time off school
compost production, fruit tree
planting and growing vegetables.
Fuel efficient stoves =
combatting climate change
•
Permaculture plots are
and save money
making the college more
financially independent, all
Permaculture =
while reducing the college’s
no artificial fertilisers; a
environmental impact and being
self-sufficient school; wella model of good practice to
fed pupils
tomorrow’s teachers.
•
The eco-friendly Ecosan
Chickens =
toilets are a much more hygienic
organic fertiliser; extra
alternative to the pit latrines on
income and a chance to go
campus, reducing sickness and
on safari!
time off college.
• The stoves have been converted to a fuel-efficient design so
that the kitchens are no longer polluted with smoke. A lorry
load of firewood once lasted a week – it now lasts a whole
month!
• The poultry project is self-sustaining. Manure goes on the
vegetable plots to improve yields and profits from the sale of
chickens are saved to fund a visit to a National Park for the
new intake of students, something few Ugandans can ever
afford to do. Last year’s lucky students returned from Queen
Elizabeth National Park enthused about conservation, full of
excitement at seeing wild animals in their natural habitat.
These ideas will now travel! The PACE materials and lessons
learned from the demonstration project have been developed into
the PACE Uganda Manual that teachers qualifying from the college
will take to their schools throughout East Africa. The ecologically
sustainable ideas will then be promoted via the schools in the
wider communities throughout the region benefiting innumerable
people and protecting and conserving the environment.
How UCF supports and promotes PACE
UCF is actively encouraging teachers in schools neighbouring all
of our projects to visit the demonstration project and to use and
share the PACE project’s invaluable lessons. Sensitisation is already
a key element of all our work: PACE offers us further opportunities
to tie environmental education into everything we do.
Project-managed by UCF and funded by the British charity Tusk
Trust, PACE will help create a ripple of influence across the
country and indeed the whole East African Region.
A big thank you to VSO
This project was started in 2008 by VSO volunteer Janice Mercer, Advisor Inclusive Environmental Management
and Teacher Trainer, who returned in 2010 with her husband Robert to develop the PACE manual. A special thanks
to Gaster Kiyingi of Tree Talk Uganda and conservation educator Mark Jordahl for their input.
The next step is for us to share and maximise the impact of this fantastic resource. A free copy of the teacher
training manual can be downloaded from www.ugandacf.org
Students en route to Queen Elizabeth
to experience their first safari
Everyone is encouraged to download the manual, visit the demonstration project and help spread the word. The
Ugandan Education Ministry is so impressed by this project that they want to incorporate it into the national
curriculum! Watch this space!
For more information, visit www.ugandacf.org or www.paceproject.net
NDALI LODGE
“We’re proud to have a partnership in which UCF represent Tusk Trust in Uganda”
Charlie Mayhew MBE, Chief Executive of Tusk Trust
Nothing can beat the enthusiasm of
DK, Aloysius and David!
Students entertained us with traditional dancing at the national launch
14
making you feel at home
since 1995
Over a 9 month period, environmental awareness
has been raised from an unimpressive 17% to
approximately 73% among the 1,014 student
teachers.
+256 772 221309
UCF Directors and staff, Daniel Walusaga (VSO) and the Ggaba team
keep up to date with ucf • visit www.ugandacf.org
www.ndalilodge.com
HOW TO SUPPORT UCF
Simple solutions can make a real difference!
Law enforcement is the first critical element in field conservation in
Uganda’s Protected Areas. Rangers put their lives on the line –
confronting armed poachers, in an inhospitable environment, miles
away from the comforts of home - every day. UCF wants to protect
the rangers. With your help, we can make their difficult jobs a little
easier and help keep them motivated.
DID YOU KNOW?
UCF has a range of cards, mugs,
books and more available in our
online shop at www.ugandacf.org
UCF represents excellent value for money, with its focus
on delivering practical measures quickly and efficiently,
and with the absolute minimum being spent on administration.
What your money can do
£
10
25
50
100
500
1000
$
20
50
100
200
1000
2000
buy a mosquito net or gum boots or a waterproof poncho
employ a team of two people for one week to maintain the elephant trenches
buy a ranger patrol bicycle
equip a mobile ranger unit with a tent
train one marine ranger on a one week professional training course
build a community guarding tower to help spot crop raiding elephants and react
in time to stop the raid
There are so many ways you can donate, and make a difference to
the people, wildlife and habitats of Uganda:
Online at our website www.ugandacf.org by credit or debit card.
On your mobile: text “UGCF11 £[amount]” to 70070 (UK residents only)
Add a donation to your online purchase of UCF merchandise at www.ugandacf.org
Create your own fundraising page on www.justgiving.com/ugandacf - a great way of raising money for UCF
with your friends – and the money goes directly to us. To help set this up, just email [email protected]
• The traditional way: British supporters can send cheques, payable to Uganda Conservation Foundation, to
Low Mains Farm, Masham, N Yorks HG4 4PS. Downloading and completing a GiftAid form to accompany your
cheque will add a very valuable 28% to donations from British taxpayers.
• Make a lasting donation: Leaving a gift to UCF in your Will means your support can last beyond your own lifetime. To find out how this
can work (even with an existing Will) please email [email protected] or call +44 (0)1765 689499.
•
•
•
•
DID YOU KNOW?
UCF has no paid workers in
the UK and a small but vital
team of just three in Uganda
so our costs are kept as low as
possible, with 90% of funding
going directly to conservation
projects
Membership
Or – at no cost to you! –
• As part of your regular internet searches and online shopping.
Register at www.everyclick.com or www.easyfundraising.org.uk and
nominate Uganda Conservation Foundation as your charity. All your
activities through these sites will earn money for us!
DID YOU KNOW?
UCF’s partnership with
the International Elephant
Foundation in the USA gives US
citizens the ability to gain a tax
advantage by making donations
to UCF. Please email
[email protected]
for more details.
We’d love you to join UCF! Members receive a free copy of this newsletter, email updates, 10% off our
merchandise and more.
UK
USA
Uganda
Individual Membership £20
$30
UGX 25,000
Family Membership
£35
$50
UGX 50,000
Corporate Membership £300
$500
UGX 1,000,000
keep up to date with ucf • visit www.ugandacf.org
15
THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Putting the ‘fun’ into ‘fund-raising’
Fund-raising is never easy, and even harder in the current
economic climate, but UCF organises a wide variety of events to
raise both money and awareness of the work we do.
Recent events include:
U
CF Directors Patrick Shah and Lilly Ajarova were thrilled
to receive a cheque from the Kampala chapter of Skål
International, a professional
organisation of tourism leaders
around the world. Thank you
Skål!
nother successful evening
at Patrick Mavros’
stunning showcase in the
Fulham Road, including
a raffle and auction, ably
compered by trustee Tim Came.
pub quiz generously organised and hosted on UCF’s behalf by
the family of Uganda-based VSO Charlotte Beauvoisin; we are
particularly grateful to them for their efforts – and welcome other
such initiatives!
he Chelsea Grand National in the grounds of The Royal
Hospital, Chelsea: a fantastic
family fun day, featuring
pantomime horse races, a
hilarious ‘dressage’ display by
Mike Keigwin (and his more
glamorous rear end partner!),
6-a-side football competition,
children’s sports, tombola
and lucky dip, face painting,
hog roast, Pimms bar, cream
teas and lots of side events
and entertainments. It was
particularly moving to have some
of the Chelsea Pensioners with us
as our guests.
eclan Lynch took up the
baton and ran the 2011
London Marathon for UCF. We
A
A
T
D
Thank you all!
And don’t forget to keep an
eye on our website, or follow
us on Facebook, for details of
forthcoming events – including a
10th Anniversary Special!
Ugandan rugby players,
Rose and Juliette, selling
UCF Christmas cards.
Thanks to GAME Supermarket Kampala for letting us
set up a stall outside
To join our mailing list, e-mail:
[email protected] or
write to Low Mains Farm, Masham,
N Yorks, HG4 4PS.
don’t have another guaranteed place on this until 2016 – but
would be delighted if anyone wanted to run on our behalf before
that!
CF was represented at a number of charity fairs in London and
will be looking to take stalls on a regular basis – check the
website for details. Thank you Carolyn!
U
None of these events would have been possible without the support
of numerous companies and individuals who generously donated
their time, creative abilities, and/or financial sponsorship, and we
gratefully acknowledge them:
The teams at Patrick Mavros
and Ivory (Europe); Serena
Coad, Mary Till, Chris Lascelles,
Simon Peters, Laura Deitz, Juliet
Tollemache, Alison Cooper
and Monkey Lou; AJ Rosettes;
Boots; Cotswold; the Beauvoisin
family; David Shepherd Wildlife
Foundation; Deloitte; Eliza Do
A Lot; The Far Horizons; Gina
Foster Millinery; Geronimo Inns;
GG Print; Gourmet Cupcakes;
Charlotte Heber-Percy; Horse
Racing Enterprises; Ice Box; Prue
Keigwin and Calf Pen Cottages;
Peter Lobbenberg & Co; Lush;
The launch of Andy Gooch’s
Mas de la Font Wines; Oddbins;
book of wildlife photography
Sara Packard Wellness Therapies;
was a great opportunity for
Anna Cowie at The Pixel
raising UCF’s profile in the
Pusher; Quest Uganda; Sipsmith
Ugandan media.
Distillery; St Helen’s Foodstore;
UCF also receives a percentSunningdale School; Sushi in
age of all book sales. Thanks
Europe; Tiptrees; Toyota Uganda; Andy! Thanks also to Seanice
Paul and Anne White; Trustees
from Sanyu FM for adding
of the Estate of P G Wodehouse...
some glamour to the photoand lastly, the people who
graph auction at the launch
have made all this possible, our
www.andygooch.co.uk
tireless Trustees Phil, Carolyn,
Tim, James, Sam, Patrick, Jacquie and Suzy – and of course the
indefatigable Michael! – who give all their time and energy to
UCF for free. None of this would happen without your amazing
commitment.
Rafting gone wild!
Bujagali Falls, Sunday
February 27th 2011, was
a day to remember! It was
the last ever chance to raft
the famous grade 5 White
Water rapids, due to be
flooded as part of the Jinja
hydroelectricity project. All
proceeds from this unique
rafting party went to Ugandan conservation charities.
Thanks to Nile River Explorers for inviting UCF to take
part. It was so popular that
a similar – bigger – event is
planned for next year. For
the full story, please visit our
web site!
The UCF Page on Facebook has quickly grown to be the biggest and most popular page of its kind in
Uganda. Interact with the team, see our photos and read regular updates from the bush. We’d love you
to become a Fan of our page and help us connect with more supporters worldwide. Help spread the
word!
Become a Fan of UCF, go to www.facebook.com/UgandaConservationFoundationUCF
16
keep up to date with ucf • visit www.ugandacf.org