2009
Magazine of the
Ivory poaching - elephant fingerprints
Conservation in action: UCF in the field
with the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA)
Waterways and Dura
Ishasha – 10 years on
Supporting sustainable development
in Uganda: sharing skills
Getting involved: how to support UCF’s work
WEBALE NYO!
A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SPONSORS
Close partners continue to
support our work, namely
the David Shepherd Wildlife
Foundation, the Rufford
Maurice Laing Foundation,
the Born Free Foundation, Tusk
Trust, British Airways Assisting
Conservation and in the US new
partners Disney, the Riverbanks
Foundation, SeaWorld Busch
Gardens, International Elephant
Foundation and the US Fisheries
and Wildlife Service.
We are tremendously
grateful to you all for your
continued support.
www.ugandacf.org
“The David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation has been working with UCF since 2001 in the Queen Elizabeth
Protected Area, to tackle elephant crop raiding, poaching problems and transboundary management in
the Ishasha region and more recently, to combat illegal activity such as poaching and the bushmeat trade
across Lakes Edward, George and Albert.
What sets UCF apart from most other conservation organizations is that over 90% of all the funding it
receives goes directly to project work – providing a long lasting legacy. This makes effective use of our
hard-raised funding to make a real impact on the long-term survival of endangered wildlife and the
sustainability of rural communities. We support UCF because their projects are making a real difference
to wildlife survival.”
www.davidshepherd.org
Corporate
Members
Uganda:
Uganda
EXISTING PROJECTS
(SEE PAGES 6-10 FOR
MORE DETAILS)
DID YOU KNOW?
The largest elephant ever recorded was a male
that weighed about 12,000 kilograms, with a
shoulder height of 4.2 metres, a metre taller
than the average male African elephant.
02
Toyota Uganda • BMS Minerals
Far Horizon Safaris • Computer
Facilities • Ndali Lodge • Petro
Uganda • City Cars Limited,
Deloitte • DHL • The Eye
Magazine • On Course
Consultancy (4WD) • Awaka
UK
Quest Uganda • Eventworks
Collyer Bristow Solicitors
Club 24 • Peter Lobbenberg &
Co, accountants • Thornton’s
Printers • the Calf Pens Masham
Wilkin and Sons of Tiptree
Edward Searle.
WELCOME TO
UGANDA MATTERS
PATRICK AGABA
Acknowledging our past, planning our future
The past year has seen UCF achieve a great
deal, especially in building our brand and
reputation with donors through our proactive
and quality field work. It is now frequently
said that UCF make the necessary changes,
challenge the most significant problems
and often are the catalyst for making things
happen for the long term. None of this would
be possible without the valued support of our
donors, volunteer Trustees, Directors and staff.
We wish them all well in their other growing
enterprises. Firm friends of the organization,
we continue to work together on an informal
level. UCF – and Uganda – owe them all an
enormous debt of service.
The past year has seen great progress with
projects, donations from loyal partners,
fundraising events in Uganda and the UK
and changes to both the Trustees and the
Board of Directors.
Patrick Agaba has done stalwart work on
the projects in Uganda and his ability to
work with the local communities, the Uganda
Wildlife Authority and us all is fantastic.
During this past year his successes in the
Waterways project include the commissioning
of three more ranger boat stations and patrol
boats in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Thanks
to Poole Harbour Sea Survival, when five
rangers underwent trainer training and 18
rangers underwent coxswain training, Patrick
also qualified as a fully certified Marine trainer!
He has also overseen the continuing community
projects to protect farmers from crop raiding
elephants with the completion of a total of 14
kms of trench dug and 13 valleys now fenced.
The Problem Animal project in Masindi and
Hoima carried out with the Budongo Forest
project has also been successfully completed.
We say farewell to
Trustee Andrew Dixon
who diligently guided
UCF over the years
and hosted the amazing
art exhibition at the
Collyer-Bristow Gallery.
In Andrew’s place,
we welcome James Acworth, an international
development and natural resource management
professional who has been based in Uganda for
a number of years. He is an enormous asset to
the organization.
2009 sees the appointment of two new
Directors to join Lilly Ajarova, Fred Babweteera
and Jane Adong. Based in Kibale National
Park, Julia Lloyd has been involved in Ugandan
wildlife conservation, most especially in
chimpanzee ecology, and regional development
for over twelve years. Harriet Fowler has many
years’ experience working across Africa in
large scale humanitarian and development
programmes and is now working for a NGO
in northern Uganda, an area in dire need
of support and development.
The appointment of Harriet and Julia has
allowed us, reluctantly, to accept the
resignation of three long-standing directors,
each of whom has made a remarkable
contribution to the establishment and success
of UCF over the past five years. Thank you to:
• Mark Graves, Chairman of Directors in
Uganda since UCF’s inception
• Patrick Shah for his tourism, accounts
and finance decision-making expertise
• Jerry Burley for his logistics and
construction industry support and
never-ending enthusiasm
Robert Mercer has now returned to the UK after
a two year spell in Uganda and he has been
replaced by VSO volunteer Charlotte Beauvoisin.
Thank you Robert and welcome Charlotte!
Enid Kakooko needs a special mention too, as
her hard work with Trustee Phil Woodcock has
paid off immeasurably with our audits, balance
sheet and requisite - and timely - submissions
to the Charities Commission. In addition to
ensuring the accounts are in order, Phil has
restructured and rebuilt the UCF website, where
we now have the ability to carry out payroll
giving, online donations and Gift Aid.
We welcome all
newcomers to engage
in the next stage in
UCF’s development.
UCF has an exciting
future with some
important projects to
work on including
our next challenge –
recovering the Dura sector of QE. Details
are featured here and on our web site
www.ugandacf.org
Your support is invaluable and we look forward
to reporting on future successes on the ground
in Uganda.
UGANDAN TEAM
DID YOU
KNOW?
In 2008 over 90% of all
UCF funding went directly
to field action. UCF has a
strong track record in
achieving and getting
things done.
CONTENTS
Ivory poaching elephant fingerprints
Elephant DNA. How UCF is
getting its hands dirty to tackle
ivory smuggling on a global level
PAGE 4
Conservation in action:
UCF in the field with
the Uganda Wildlife
Authority (UWA)
MOU signed
PAGE 5
Waterways and Dura
How success is being replicated
across the area, allowing us to
start recovery of the Dura sector
PAGE 6
Ishasha – 10 years on
They’re singing our song. The
Kikarara community thanks UCF
for our commitment to managing
Human Wildlife Conflict
PAGE 8
Supporting sustainable
development in
Uganda: sharing skills
Nurturing the environmentalists
of tomorrow
Exciting book partnership
PAGE 11
Getting involved: how
to support UCF’s work
Find us on Facebook!
PAGE 12
03
UCF WORKS WITH INTERPOL TO CREATE
GLOBAL MAP OF ELEPHANT DNA
In May Uganda’s New Vision newspaper ran the headline “Uganda is being used as a route for
smuggling ivory out of the Democratic Republic of Congo” after 100 pieces of ivory and a leopard
skin were handed over to the Uganda Wildlife Authority. The ivory was found concealed in a bag
of matooke (green bananas) in a bus from the DRC bound for Kampala. Indeed ivory poaching is
reaching levels not seen since the CITES ban on sales in the 1980s.
The majority of ivory confiscated in Uganda is coming from eastern DRC. In Uganda UCF has
intensified the fight against this poaching with the Waterways projects thereby better controlling
movement across the Lakes. However, there is another very important and exciting project that UCF
is currently implementing in conjunction with the University of Washington and Interpol: the creation
of a global map of elephant DNA.
DID YOU KNOW?
The combination of a rapid increase in the
number of people in East Africa with their
aspiration for prosperity or desperate flight
from conflict or grinding poverty is exerting
significant pressure on the abundance with
which nature gifted this region. Furthermore,
the unpredictable but increasingly visible
effects of climate change will make life in
the future even more uncertain.
State of East Africa Report 2008
DHL have again very kindly supported the Elephant
DNA project by flying samples from Uganda to the USA
UCF and UWA sign a
partnership agreement
UCF and the Uganda Wildlife Authority share common
objectives and have over many years developed a firm
and ongoing relationship, no doubt helped by the fact that
several of UCF’s Board have held Directorships with UWA.
Implementation of UCF’s projects would not be possible
without the input and cooperation of UWA and we
are therefore delighted that the two organizations have
recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which
paves the way for an even more successful working
relationship in the future.
UWA had identified the elephant DNA project as a priority
project and UCF was in a position to be able
to source funding to make it happen. This
is just one example of where UCF has been
able to mobilize its resources to support
UWA’s work.
Other projects where UCF and
UWA have been partners
in recent years include the
Waterways projects and the
Kikarara and Bukorwe Ridge
elephant trenches in Ishasha,
southern Queen Elizabeth
National Park.
04
HELP SAVE MY TUSKS!
We are all aware of how important DNA analysis is in crime detection in
our daily lives. Who would have thought that this same technology could
be used in stopping the illegal ivory trade? Well, this is just what UCF
is helping to do.
We are providing Interpol, through the
University of Washington in Seattle, with
the means to identify the origin of ivory
wherever it is confiscated or the need arises.
The DNA profiles from elephants across
Uganda, Eastern DRC and Southern Sudan
only need be collected once; after analysis we
will be able to identify any differences between
the elephants within the region and to those
elsewhere in Africa. This project has been
widely publicised internationally, recognising
the significance of the work.
The DNA is collected from fresh dung, so
not quite as glamorous as it might seem! The
Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), with the
support of UCF, has started ‘poopa scooping’
elephant dung specimens from a wide area in
Uganda with each specimen being accurately
recorded on GPS (Geographical Positioning
System). The sample itself is taken from the
outside surface of the dung (where it has
been in contact with the stomach walls,
and therefore the cells containing DNA).
These specimens are put into a solution
in specially designed vials and then flown
as quickly as possible to the University
of Washington in Seattle for analysis.
What makes this project so exciting is that
ivory too can be analysed for its DNA, meaning
that illegal ivory confiscated around the
world or ‘legitimate’ ivory being sold through
CITES, can have its true origins matched to
the profiles we are creating. Impounded ivory
can then be tested and its origin undisputedly
identified, strengthening the hands of law
enforcers immeasurably.
Collections are relatively easy in the major
national parks of the region. However, in
many regions, elephants are scarce and
extremely reclusive due to previous poaching
pressure. Equally parts of Northern Uganda,
Southern Sudan and Eastern DRC are not easily
accessible and our teams will be walking vast
areas to find the elephants, collect the samples
and of course report back to UWA on where
they were and what was found!
Funds are urgently needed for this programme
as poaching is on the increase; illegal ivory
has been impounded in Bangkok and Nairobi
in the last two months, on its way to the Far
East where it is highly prized and converted
into memorabilia and carvings. We know large
amounts of ivory are being smuggled out
of the DRC.
Please help UCF stop this indiscriminate
killing of elephants which supplies the illegal
ivory trade. Help us keep the tusks on these
magnificent animals where they belong.
If you’re interested in supporting this
project please contact [email protected]
More detail about this project can be
found at www.ugandacf.org
Thank you to
SeaWorld Busch
Gardens and
the Born Free
Foundation for the
emergency funding
provided ($3000 &
$1800 respectively)
to get the project
underway. We are
looking to raise a
further $15,000 in
order to complete
the next stages of
this project.
DID YOU
KNOW?
In the last 5 years
the price of ivory has
rocketed with reports
of Asian dealers paying
in excess of US$1,000
per kilo.
Elephant poaching for
ivory and bushmeat in
the Democratic Republic
of Congo (DRC) is placing
the remaining elephant
populations in danger
of being wiped out.
05
WATERWAYS – FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH
COMMUNITY
BENEFIT
• Lives are saved after
boating accidents
• Sick people are ferried
to seek medical help
• Bodies are recovered
from the Lake
Until three years ago the Uganda Wildlife
Authority had no capability to travel on water,
leaving the regions exposed to all forms of
illegal activities; poaching, bushmeat and ivory
smuggling, and illegal fishing.
FROM TOP LEFT: TRUSTEE PHIL
WOODCOCK AT MWEYA BOAT
STATION, MARINE RANGER TRAINING,
UCF’S PATRICK AGABA WITH CURIOUS
LOCAL CHILDREN AT KASHAKA
DID YOU
KNOW?
Lake George is an
important International
Bird Area (IBA). QE’s
diversity is reflected in
its nearly 606 bird species
list, the highest number
of species of any protected
area in Africa.
Acknowledgements to
Jerry Burley and BMS
Minerals for supporting
the logistics of the marine
ranger station at Kashaka
and Kamulikwezi.
[email protected]
More detail about this
project can be found at
www.ugandacf.org
06
With your support, UCF has just finished
construction of our fourth marine ranger
station (at Kamulikwezi) in Queen Elizabeth
National Park, provided power boats and
engines, and trained more than 30 rangers
in boat handling and operations.
Boat stations in other parts of QE have proved
to be successful beyond initial hopes. They
are strategically placed and are reducing the
elephant and hippo poaching problems across
both Lakes George and Edward, Bushmeat
smugglers are also struggling to evade the
speedy ranger patrols!
The removal of unlicensed boats and illegal
fisherman using undersized gauge nets, catching
all fish including young ones, has meant that the
legitimate fishing communities are beginning to
see a small recovery in their catches and fishing
village economies are gradually improving.
Control of fishing in restricted areas has also
resulted in fewer crocodiles, otters and birds
being caught and drowned in the nets.
The construction and equipping of the four
marine stations across QE is only one step in
a comprehensive programme. We will now be
focusing on their successful operation, enabling
them to coordinate with land based patrols and
with each other.
Over the next year UCF will further equip the
mobile ranger patrols and provide them with
logistical support to work across the region. The
project has provided fishing communities with a
‘Lifeboat’ service that has already rescued people
and recovered bodies after tragic accidents. It
will also offer invaluable support to the Dura
Recovery Project.
Waterways in action
Law enforcement
UWA’s visible presence reduces shoreline
bushmeat smoking, waterborne bushmeat
smuggling and wildlife and ivory trafficking.
Illegal activities confronted between December
2008 and May 2009 include:
• 2106 fishnets confiscated
• 73 canoes captured
• 30 bags of charcoal confiscated
• 8 suspects arrested
Lake rescue and recovery
Daily life is dangerous for people living on or
adjacent to the National Parks. In two separate
incidents, boys have been killed while
collecting drinking water from Lake George:
• A hippo refused to let go of the body of
a 13 year old boy it had just killed. The
Kashaka boat was called out to the scene
and the animal coaxed into releasing the
boy’s body.
• Another incident at Katwe involved a
crocodile. Unfortunately the boy had
died before UWA heard of the tragedy.
• In both cases, UWA – with the support of
UCF-funded equipment and training – was
able to help recover the bodies, allowing
the families to grieve properly.
Research and monitoring
On receiving reports of a dead hippo and
a dead elephant in Kasenyi, the Chief UWA
Vet was called from Kampala. UCF’s Kashaka
boat was used to recover the carcasses for
post-mortems to be carried out to ascertain
if there was a possible outbreak of Anthrax.
Thanks to the Kashaka boat, the first hippo
census across QE since the 1960s, was carried
out by UWA’s Research & Monitoring Warden
in 2007. UCF will be working with UWA on
the next survey in early 2010.
DURA - OUR NEXT CHALLENGE!
1. Kamulikwezi
We aim to support UWA recover this 400km2
area from poaching. Right now you could walk
across the region and see no elephants and
other large mammals; poaching has wiped them
all out. Can we help achieve, in Dura what we
helped UWA achieve in Ishasha? – With your
support of course!
Northern Lake George
Marine station & jetty
(under construction)
2. Kashaka
Southern Lake George
Marine ranger station
(operational)
Kibale Forest National Park is to the north
of Dura, and central QE is to the south. Both
areas have an abundance of elephant and other
wildlife that once used this area, and we hope
will soon do so again.
3. Mweya
Marine station & jetty
(operational)
4. Rwenshama
Dura is a pretty big wildlife corridor with
agriculture to the east and west of it, and to
the south, lies along the northern shores of
Lake George. The trouble is that Dura has
no access roads, no permanent ranger
accommodation and no tourism.
Once famous for its elephants, hippos, lion
and chimpanzee, over recent decades they have
been poached indiscriminately, almost wiping
out the wildlife. The lakes were used to move
the dried bushmeat and smuggled wildlife,
completely unchallenged. Devoid of the megaherbivores, the ‘architects’ of the African bush,
the habitat has changed enormously and is now
thick, almost impenetrable bush, where once
it was savanna. It is essential that elephants
and hippo return to this area to restore the
ecosystem for the benefit of all wildlife.
UCF and UWA want to revitalize the Dura
area by opening up access to it, protecting
it with rangers and thus allowing wildlife
to re-establish itself there.
Our work will provide the much needed
foundation for a wildlife recovery which would
include our research, all necessary to develop a
Dura management plan to support UWA in their
sustainable recovery of the region. This would
include ways of improving the region’s overall
economic development, community skill
development and job creation.
How can this be achieved?
Over the next few years UWA will have ranger
posts built by UCF across Dura to ensure
ten rangers are permanently accommodated
in the region. UCF will also make sure the
ranger posts and rangers are equipped
with bicycles and provided with
easy access routes into the region;
the habitat is impenetrable!
On Lake George, the Waterways
project has already helped with the
building of the Kashaka and
Kamulikwezi Marine Ranger
Posts, and provision of speed
boats and ranger training. This
means the boats can stop
Marine station
(operational)
DID YOU
KNOW?
Dura is a Ramsar site
and Biosphere Reserve,
recognizing its wetlands
and high biodiversity.
poachers getting into Dura and smuggling
the meat out by boat. It also means the rangers
can access Dura anywhere along the shoreline.
Fantastic!
The rangers and UCF team will remove snares
from the whole area and carry out basic
research to monitor the dispersal of wildlife
through the area. We also need to work out
whether there are other things that can be
done to accelerate the region’s recovery.
These actions will provide the much-needed
conditions for the recovery of the Dura region
to its former wildlife rich habitat. It will also
relieve the pressure on farmers on the borders
of the park by lessening the density of animal
numbers near cultivated areas.
UCF is grateful and proud to have the
David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation,
the International Elephant Foundation,
Tusk Trust, SeaWorld Busch Gardens and
the US Fish and Wildlife Service as the
project’s sponsors. Their commitment
and foresight in the value of this
first step to help recover Dura are
greatly appreciated.
DID YOU
KNOW?
Protecting hippo is
important for the fishing
villages as the fish need a
food source – hippo dung!
People’s livelihoods are
intertwined with
conservation.
If you’d like to support
this project please contact
us at [email protected]
More detail about this
project can be found at
www.ugandacf.org
07
ISHASHA - 10 YEARS ON
• Ishasha’s elephant recovery
• Elephant movement between the DRC and Uganda
• Elephant crop raiding: a very real problem
UCF’s Founder Michael Keigwin
recounts his story of how the
organisation came into being
and traces the remarkable
transformation in the fortunes
of both the elephant and local
communities in Ishasha.
DID YOU
KNOW?
Since the excavation
of the Kikarara trench:
• There have been no
retaliatory killings
of elephants.
• 51 local schoolchildren
now attend secondary
school. Two years ago
there were none.
• 364 children enrolled at
Kikarara primary school
and 120 at the new
Catholic School (only 250
children attended before).
• People can even think
about Further Education,
an option they couldn’t
previously consider.
In 1999, after two years in Queen Elizabeth
National Park (QE) in Uganda, I became aware
of the serious problems that were facing
its elephants and the region’s development.
Originally wanting to research this for my PhD,
I quickly changed the focus of the project to
work closer with the Uganda Wildlife Authority
(UWA) to understand more about the problems
and how to resolve them.
Over the past 40 years, severe poaching
across Uganda had killed all the rhino and
most of the once famed herds of elephants
that gave Uganda the reputation of having
the most mega-herbivores per km2 in Africa.
However, little was known about the remainder
of QE’s wildlife populations, especially the
elephants. Were they a viable population?
How many were left and where were they?
What we did know was that people living
on the perimeter of QE were suffering from
considerable elephant crop-raiding problems.
The Elephants, Crops and People (ECP) project
came into being with a feasibility study, with
the cooperation of UWA. We questioned old
rangers, the communities and people who
had worked in the area during its heyday
between the 1930s and 1960s. We sought
to understand the problems and threats to
southern QE and what action could help the
region make positive steps towards recovery.
The elephants
Ravaged by severe poaching for ivory during
the 1970s and 1980s, and for bushmeat well
into the 1990s, the wildlife in Ishasha in
southern QE was struggling to survive, let
alone recover. We knew that by the 1980s
elephant numbers had crashed from over 3000
to a mere 150. By the time ECP started nearly
20 years later, we did not know how many
were left in Southern QE or if they were safe’.
ECP started conscientious research on the
ground, walking into every corner of QE
researching the elephants. Over time this
08
showed that over 800 elephants were using
the Ishasha sector. Most commonly they were
found in five aggregations of between 100 to
200 elephants. On one occasion I sat with one
of conservation’s true legends, Marcel Onen,
and we were surrounded by over 700 elephants.
Ishasha had a viable population after all!
We found that a large proportion of elephants
were under ten years old, which was staggering.
But on reflection, why not? Ishasha was safe,
the elephants were now living in perfect
conditions and they were breeding well.
What’s more, over the past ten years, few
elephants had died. Research focused on the
age structure of the population and found there
were virtually no elephants over 40 years old.
This age group had been wiped out twenty
years ago for its ivory and meat. ECP also
discovered that no elephants had been killed
for ivory for some time, though about 10
were killed by local communities annually
in retaliation for crop-raiding. Elephants
were, however, being killed in the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC). Having found the
elephants in Ishasha were recovering so well,
it was clear that all they needed was continued
security and good management, and research
was not a priority.
So in 2003, ECP and UCF were pleased to
confirm to our close partners UWA, that
the elephant population was viable, healthy
and that the Ishasha region held not only the
biggest number of elephants in Uganda but
in the whole of the Albertine Rift Valley.
The ECP team was also working on the other
serious threats to these elephants. The threat
of these animals being shot every time they
moved across the international border into
DRC’s Virunga National Park was, and remains,
very real. Between 1999 and 2003, it was
common to hear over 50 gunshots a day,
and those were just the ones within our earshot.
We had no idea how many elephants
‘transmigrated,’ how many were killed whilst
transmigrating or, indeed, if the extent of the
killing would cause a significant enough drop
in numbers to make the population unviable.
For UWA, every elephant was important.
Every week, whatever the weather, the ECP
team, accompanied by rangers, walked the
Ishasha River to monitor the elephants’
distribution, numbers and direction of
movement. We walked the river 113 times,
and over the whole period found a near 400%
increase in the number of elephants entering
Uganda and – interestingly - remaining in
Uganda, presumably to avoid the poaching
in the DRC. It seemed the tables had turned for
the elephants. At one time, they found safety
from the troubles in Uganda by crossing the
Ishasha River into the DRC and now it appeared
they were crossing from strife -ridden DRC,
back to the current safety of Uganda to prosper
in the safe and lush habitats of southern QE.
Although we discovered much more in our
research, it once again proved that, in a locality
already struggling for resources, research was
not a priority. Improved management and
conservation in the Virunga National Park most
certainly was. To this extent, I applaud Wildlife
Direct who arrived halfway through the ECP
work and continue to carry out fantastic
work in the Virunga National Park. One has
to remember that there is a very unstable
region and that six million people have been
killed in eastern DRC over the past ten years.
UCF has hosted meetings with rangers and
wardens from both sides of the border and
carried out regular visits to build relations. In
addition, we have donated specific items such
as bicycles to support the rangers’ work (which
hopefully did not attract rebel groups to attack
their posts to steal them!) Seeing the immediate
impact of these small amounts of support was
incredible. A little can go a long way.
On one of the very early meetings between
the regional Wardens and the rangers of QE
and the DRC, I had my mother to stay and felt
confident she would be safe to join in. She had
last been to Ishasha 45 years earlier when her
brother was a Game Warden in Uganda. During
the evening, which was a little tense, she broke
into Lingala (a rough mix of French and
Swahili spoken in Eastern DRC), shocking me
and totally relaxing what had been a rather
distrustful atmosphere between the two areas’
management teams.
It kicked off one of the greatest cross-border
public relations events I have seen. It took
a goat barbeque, lots of bottles of pop and
draughts sets (made out of cardboard and
bottle tops): no workshops, no per diems
(expenses to attend the meeting), no guns,
no booze - just good people. Those present
at that meeting remain friends today.
Crop Raiding
In 1999 we had no idea of the state of the
elephant populations but we did know that
the local subsistence farmers living along the
border of southern QE were extremely angry
because elephants were destroying their crops.
As the farmers walked me through their fields
along the edge of the park, there was evidence
of elephants and damaged crops everywhere.
I imagined how difficult it would be to feed
an extended family on what you grow on your
half an acre of land, and just how furious you
would be to have one elephant, let alone 200
elephants, destroying a whole year’s work in
just one or two nights.
The families along the border included many
widows and the younger generations displayed
very low literacy levels: this was because the
men were guarding the crops at night and
many had died as a result of catching malaria.
The children were taking over the day duties
(and not going to school) whilst the men
were guarding at night. When men died,
the responsibility passed to the children.
Not surprisingly, the communities supported
poachers in the park; sometimes they
poached too. They also speared and
poisoned elephants, leaving poison-soaked
pineapples for example. They saw no
value in the park. On the contrary:
to them, its presence was an
economic and social threat.
River
Ishasha
Kikarara
trench
We needed to understand
the problem: where the
ECP CAMP SITE
crop-raiding was worst; when
it was happening and whether
it was male or female elephants
who were the culprits. To create
a strategy, convince donors to
fund it and have the park and
ISHASHA
CUSTOMS
community working together,
I set up a monitoring system
along the whole border,
based on a method
developed by the
African Elephant
Ishasha
Specialist Group. It
Sector
employed local farmers,
trained by us, to record
details of every incident
along the entire border. We
confirmed each incident and gained
a very clear picture of the problem.
RWESIGIRO
Queen Elizabeth
National Park
Boundary
KAMEME
DRC
Bukorwe
trench and
fencing
Uganda
09
Over 400 incidents per year were confirmed,
far exceeding levels described elsewhere.
It was no surprise the communities lacked
tolerance. Alarmingly, the crop raiding was
done by individual bulls, family groups and
even entire aggregations. It was all happening
at night, which we expected, as the elephants
were so nervous and reclusive by day, that
they stayed hidden in the forested areas.
(Ten years on, this is not the case at all
as they pose for photographs!)
DID YOU
KNOW?
Did you know that
Uganda is losing forest
cover at an alarming
rate? The recent State
of Environment Report
(NEMA, 2007) says
Uganda’s forest cover
has declined from about
5m hectares in 1990 to
3.7m hectares in 2005.
Deforestation is attributed
to encroachment for
agricultural production,
wood fuel, urbanization,
industrial growth,
migration and a rapid
population increase (the
3rd highest in the world).
The good news is that
according to National
Forestry Authority,
Uganda will plant millions
of trees in the next
four years at a cost of
$253mn, as it tries to
restore dwindling forest
cover from 22% of its
area to 30%.
Having understood the problem, gained
the trust and friendship of the communities
and worked closely with UWA at all times,
it was now time for UCF to act on the
research. Despite setbacks in securing
funding, we implemented a simple plan
with everyone involved.
Park committees were set up for the first time
and included the community leaders, senior
wardens and rangers. Their objective was to
coordinate any work in the area, involving
everyone and building trust. Since then we
have funded the digging of over 30km of 2m
x 2m trenches and erected 13 elephant fences.
The impact of these mitigation measures has
been incredible. Farmers are now harvesting
their crops, communities are now able to send
their children to school and community, park
and conservationist attitudes have changed.
From the park’s perspective, the locals have
abandoned their support of poaching. Indeed
UWA rangers, who continue to protect the
area from on-going problems, have seen
a marked decline in poaching.
However, the trenches and fences alone, even
if well maintained, will not stop the problem
of the crop raiding in the long term. Guard
rotas and alternative income streams to the
growing of palatable crops along the park
boundary are still very necessary.
So what is next?
There remain many villages with serious
crop raiding problems and we continue to
work to resolve them. UCF has to continue
expanding its impact along the park boundary
and encourage action-based conservation.
We are resuming the monitoring of the
elephant/human interactions in order
to measure the impact.
michael.keigwin@
ugandacf.org
Acknowledgements to
Jerry Burley and BMS
Minerals for supporting
the logistics of fence
constructions in Ishasha.
More detail about this
project can be found at
www.ugandacf.org
10
What an amazing ten years it has been for
southern QE, and especially the Ishasha
sector. The transformation I have seen is
remarkable. It has been a privilege working
with the game rangers, local communities and
the many dedicated people worldwide who
have helped us support the region and UWA.
In Ishasha, elephant and other wildlife numbers
have recovered wonderfully. Tourism in
Ishasha is now booming and that also provides
employment opportunities. Poaching is, in this
area, mostly under control. Communities are
able to harvest their crops without the
interference of elephants, and UWA and the
communities are working much more closely
together. A conservation success, these results
all stem from the original research and plaudits
should rightly be given to UWA.
UCF emerged as a consequence of the ECP
programme. I recognised the difficulties
in attracting funding for action based
conservation in areas that were scarcely
known, in countries that were out of favour.
We were the only organisation working with
UWA in Ishasha during that whole period.
Everyone can get involved in UCF as much
or as little as they like. We have a reputation
for being a ‘no nonsense’ organisation and
for getting on with the job in hand. We strive
to make every penny, dime or shilling count
and - as you have read - 90% of funding is
turned into conservation action.
I have never been paid for the work done for
ECP or UCF, nor have any of our dedicated
Directors or Trustees. We just like to see the
progress, the wildlife and Uganda’s wonderful
people prospering. Above all we get a thrill
seeing how the next generations are inspired
by the majesty of the region’s wildlife.
On my last visit to the communities in
July 2009, we were all stunned by the
community performing a song they had
written dedicated to UCF and me; that
alone made every ounce of effort over
the years wholeheartedly worthwhile.
Wonderful people.
Wonderful place.
Ishasha...
SUPPORTING SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT IN UGANDA
Creating a ripple effect of good environmental practice across East Africa
March 2009 saw the start of an exciting
sustainability project at Kampala’s St John the
Baptist Primary Teacher Training College (PTC)
in Ggaba, which we hope will impact many
thousands of lives over the coming years.
The Pan African Conservation Education
(PACE) training and demonstration project
aims to address the lack of access to education
and practical information on sustainable
development and to contribute to solutions
to environmental problems such as the lack of
clean drinking water and effective sanitation,
malnutrition due to soil erosion and crop
failure, and respiratory diseases caused by
indoor smoke pollution (through the use of
charcoal stoves). Sanitation is a particular
problem in Ugandan schools, where insufficient
access to clean toilet facilities contributes to
school dropout and low literacy rates, especially
among girls.
The long-term goal of the project is to enable
new teachers to develop practical skills for
sustainable development, creating a ripple
effect of influence on the children and
communities they encounter during
their teaching careers.
With funding from Tusk Trust’s PACE
programme the PTC has already
installed water tanks for rainwater
harvesting, to maximize the amount
of water it can collect during this
year’s rainy season. Work starts soon
on construction of the composting
toilets, which will not only improve
the schools’ facilities but show the
trainee teachers in very practical terms
how they can minimize their impact
on the environment.
UCF’s role is to help ensure project
implementation on a day to day basis
and we are delighted to be associated
with such a practical and forwardthinking environmental project.
More detail about this project can
be found at www.ugandacf.org and
www.paceproject.net
UCF invests in future
environmentalists
UCF is currently supporting the final year research project
of undergraduate Susan Kyasiimire, a Wildlife and Forestry
Resources Management student at Nkumba University on
“The role of indigenous knowledge in the conservation of
Uganda's National Parks” a Royal Geographical Societyfunded research proposal.
We wish her every luck with her studies.
Monkey Lou
and the Two
Bad Elephants
UCF is pleased to announce
a partnership with Monkey
Lou Ltd, to promote our
shared message. Author Gil
Johnson is writing a series of books with an engaging
monkey hero and an environmental message for children
aged 4-8. The third book in the series "Monkey Lou and
the Two Bad Elephants" - and the first to mention the link
with UCF - is available now, priced £5.99.
For more details on these books, visit
www.monkeylou.co.uk
We can make your wildest
dreams a reality...
Here at Quest we’re specialists in organising safaris tailored to your
needs. Uganda and Rwanda have some of the most spectacular
wildlife and scenery on the planet. Whether it’s your dream to see
gorillas or big cats in their natural habitat, or you simply want to
explore the extraordinary beauty of Africa, we can make your wildest
dreams a reality.
T: 07979 917700
Email: [email protected]
www.questuganda.com
PROUD TO BE SUPPORTERS OF THE
UGANDA CONSERVATION FOUNDATION
11
A SPECIAL THANKS TO...
Patrick Mavros
In June Patrick Mavros kindly hosted a UCF fundraiser at his flagship gallery on the Fulham Road
in London. Patrick is a well known sculptor from Zimbabwe with a passion for African wildlife
conservation and he kindly let us use the gallery free of charge on the night. Over £5000 was raised
in a stunning setting and a thoroughly good evening was enjoyed by all. Many thanks indeed to
Patrick and family.
DID YOU
KNOW?
It’s very easy to make
a donation to UCF
using our secure online
payment facility at
www.ugandacf.org
Also a big thanks to:
RMIS, Dave Warden Design
(www.dave.warden.
btinternet.co.uk)
and the
Trustees of
UCF for their
time and in-kind
donations to
Uganda Matters
Collyer Bristow
UCF would like to take this opportunity to thank the partners of UK law firm Collyer Bristow for
hosting a fund-raising art exhibition in support of the charity. Their generosity, and the support of
the artists who participated, of BA and of sponsors Arbuthnot Latham and Quest Uganda, are
gratefully acknowledged.
Hamish Mackie, Sculptor and Skinner of Savile Row, William and Son, Cameron Cavendish Fine
Wines, Dominique Salm, Paulo Akiiki, Picture Post, Wensleydale Galleries, Mr and Mrs Lewis,
Dr Judith Brown, Mrs Y C Autie, Dr H M Pepper, Mr J Wilson, David Ridsdale, Upthank Farm,
Philip Cayford QC, Gillian Graves, Roni Madhvani, British High
Commissioner Francois Gordon, Andrea Hunter, Alan Forward
visit
www.ugandacf.org
to see the pics
and full reports!
DONATE ONLINE AND ‘MAKE A DIFFERENCE’ TO
THE PEOPLE, WILDLIFE AND HABITATS OF UGANDA.
Why?
How?
UCF project work is generously supported
by grants sourced through a number of
international organisations, to which we
are extremely grateful, but we also rely
upon personal donations from supporters to
continue our work in Uganda.
Donations can be made at our website
www.ugandacf.org by credit or debit card
through our link with Charities Aid Foundation.
They provide a secure platform for online
donations and the facility to add Gift Aid to
increase the value of your donation to UCF
with no extra cost to yourself.
UCF has no paid workers in the UK and
only a small team in Uganda comprising two
Ugandan nationals and a VSO volunteer
so our costs are kept
as low as possible.
12
‘MAKE A DIFFERENCE’
DONATE AT
WWW.UGANDACF.ORG
TODAY!
UCF EMPLOYED LOCAL PEOPLE TO ERECT THE FENCE TO PREVENT ELEPHANT CROP RAIDING AT ISHASHA
SPONSORED
EVENTS
Monkey Business?
Participating in a fun run or a marathon, sponsored
silence, knitting, climbing a mountain or whatever?
Why not nominate UCF as your sponsored charity?
To make this easier UCF has linked up with
www.justgiving.com/ugandacf. It’s easy to create your
own fundraising page by using the secure link on the
‘Support Us’ page of our website, www.ugandacf.org.
Friends can sponsor your event or make a donation to
UCF by visiting www.justgiving.com/ugandacf and you
can easily monitor the results of your sponsorship efforts
whilst recovering!
WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE
ON OUR MAILING LIST?
If you’d like to get involved in a sponsored event but
are not sure what’s right for you, drop an email to
[email protected], we’ve loads of ideas to
get you started.
Or do you know someone else who would like to
receive a copy of Uganda Matters by email?
Simply fill out the form below and send to:
Uganda Conservation Foundation
Uganda: P.O. Box 34020, Kampala
UK: Low Mains Farm, Masham, North Yorkshire HG4 4PS
Name:
Organisation:
Address:
Tel:
Mobile:
Email:
I picked up my copy of Uganda Matters in:
I Uganda I UK I USA
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.
MIKE KEIGWIN RUNS
A GRUELLING HALF
MARATHON FUNDRAISING
FOR UCF
Are you a US citizen?
Supporting UCF just got even easier! 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.
Conservation in action
90% of UCF’s funding goes directly to conservation
projects. A donation of:
• $15 will buy a mosquito net that will help
protect villagers in Kikarara from Malaria
• $150 will buy a life jacket for Uganda Wildlife
Authority Rangers patrolling Lake George
• $1,000 will buy a tent for Uganda Wildlife
Authority Rangers patrolling the Dura sector
• $20,000 will buy a vehicle so UCF can visit the
projects on a more regular basis
We’d like to keep you up to date with developments at UCF using the information that you have
supplied above. Our preferred method of contact is by email. If you are happy for us to contact you
and keep your personal details on our system, please tick this box. I
Note: we will not share your details with any other organisation.
Printed copies of Uganda Matters are free to members. Membership
also entitles you to claim 10% deduction from merchandise and
Christmas Cards (only should you wish to claim it!) The following
types of membership are available:
UK
USA
Uganda
Shillings
Individual membership
£20
$30
20,000/=
Family membership
£35
$50
50,000/=
Corporate membership
£300
$500
1,000,000/=
GIFT AID DECLARATION
Gift Aid means donations from UK taxpayers are worth even more
to UCF, at no extra cost to you. This means that for every £1
donated, UCF can claim an extra 28p from the Inland Revenue,
making your generous donation stretch further. All you have to
do is sign and date the form here.
Signature
Date:
Please make cheques payable to the
Uganda Conservation Foundation.
There are many easy ways to support UCF at www.ugandacf.org