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The status of anthropogenic threat at the people-park interface of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 March 2009

WILLIAM OLUPOT ,
ROBERT BARIGYIRA  and
COLIN A. CHAPMAN
WILLIAM OLUPOT*
Affiliation:
Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation, PO Box 44, Kabale, Uganda Wildlife Conservation Society (Uganda Program), Plot 802, Mitala, Kiwafu Road, Kansanga, PO Box 7487, Kampala, Uganda
ROBERT BARIGYIRA
Affiliation:
Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation, PO Box 44, Kabale, Uganda
COLIN A. CHAPMAN
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology and McGill School of Environment, 855 Sherbrooke Street West, McGill University Montreal, Quebec, CanadaH3A 2T7 Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, New York, USA
*
*Correspondence: Dr William Olupot, Wildlife Conservation Society (Uganda Program), Plot 802, Mitala, Kiwafu Road, Kansanga, PO Box 7487, Kampala, Uganda Tel: +256 772 591834 (mobile) e-mail: wolupot@wcs.org
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Summary

Effective management of anthropogenic threats is key to sustaining biological diversity in protected areas. Types and distribution of threats to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda were investigated to assess the Park's status 12 years after it was upgraded from a forest reserve to a national park. Bwindi, like many tropical forested parks, is surrounded by dense human populations. Threats were quantified in 104 1-km edge-interior transects set around the Park. The distribution of threats was patchy and was most common within 300–350 m of the edge. The commonest threat was harvesting of wood and poles. Other threats included occurrence of exotic species, degradation of adjacent habitat fragments and high impact of problem animals on some of the neighbouring communities. The fact that threats were primarily associated with the edges of the Park, when previously they were widespread throughout the Park, suggests that illegal resource harvesting has been reduced since the forest was upgraded to a national park. Park legislation, enforcement and related conservation efforts have been effective, and there should be increased effort to manage the people-park interface. Edge-based assessments appear to be useful for quantifying threats to protected areas and identifying areas in which they are concentrated.

Keywords

disturbanceforesttropicsedgesconservationpeople-park interactionsUganda
Type
Papers
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 36 , Issue 1 , March 2009 , pp. 41 - 50
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 2009

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