Not only has the local community living in the buffer zone around the park lost access to its resources, but it is also subject to crop raiding by wildlife from the park. Before their exclusion, local people engaged in hunting, mining, logging, pit sawing, and beekeeping within the park. There is a revenue-sharing scheme from the park’s tourism earnings, but this has primarily funded infrastructure projects such as roads and schools.

Gorilla tracking for tourists began, and the park has since become a popular tourist destination. In 1991, there were 3,000 tourists. Today, there are around 36,000 visitors annually—152 per day—with a maximum of eight tourists allowed to visit each of the 20 gorilla groups daily. Permits cost USD 800 for non-resident foreigners. The habituation of gorillas to humans in order to facilitate tourism may have increased the damage they cause to local people’s property, as their fear of humans has diminished.

The arrival of tourists has created opportunities for the local community. Many have started their own enterprises.

Ride 4 a Woman

Ride 4 a Woman is a charitable social enterprise supporting women struggling with poverty, HIV, and domestic violence, as well as single mothers, widows, and women who never had the opportunity to attend school. It was set up in 2009 by Evelyne Habasa and her husband, Denis Rubalema. They initially started by renting bicycles to tourists, using the proceeds to support struggling women — hence the somewhat incongruous name.

Next came quilting. The women were taught by Patricia, an Australian who met Evelyne while visiting Bwindi for gorilla tracking. Patricia and two of her quilting friends trained 16 women using a ‘train the trainer’ methodology. Now, 100 women have been trained, and 60 work daily at Ride 4 a Woman. This, along with other projects, empowers women and improves local livelihoods.

Take a look at their website — it is guaranteed to lift your spirits. With only a small amount of support, local communities can use tourism to diversify and improve their livelihoods. However, it depends on empowering them to utilise tourism rather than merely being impacted by it.

Change a Life Bwindi

Their strapline says it all: Empower, Educate & Conserve. The Batwa Cultural Centre was launched in March 2020, alongside microfinance initiatives, craft production, and beekeeping for ‘reformed poachers’.

A Darwin Challenge Fund, through a project run by the IIED, financed a Ugandan artist from Kampala to train women in improving the quality of their basket weaving.

The unique designs reflect the landscapes around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, and they sell quickly. Although they take longer to make, the retail price is significantly higher, resulting in a greater hourly income.

The IIED project has palyed a key role in supporting women to drive change and achieve sustainable livelihoods.

Good livelihoods are possible when local community members gain skills and empowerment as crafters, guides, farmers, and beekeepers. By harnessing tourism, communities can build their future rather than simply being shaped by it.

L’article Empowering women in the buffer zone of Bwindi National Park est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The Covid-19 virus has stopped all tourism to see the gorillas and the importance of preventing any transmission for the virus from tourists, guides or guards to this endangered species means that it is likely to a long time before tourism to Bwindi restarts. 

The Batwa were displaced from the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest when it was turned into a national park to protect the Mountain Gorillas. As a nomadic people who had never settled in one location, the Batwa had no claim to the land, and the Ugandan government had no legal obligation to compensate them.

Change a Life Bwindi is a local NGO working to ensure a balance between the environment, wildlife conservation and sustainable development programs among the communities living in Bwindi, through sustainable livelihood initiatives. 

I met Tina Katushaba when with colleagues working on a Darwin Initiative funded project to improve sustainable livelihoods for people living around the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Sanaa Gateja, a Ugandan artist with an international reputation, worked with local women to improve the design and quality of the baskets they weave for sale to tourists and for export. 

Tina Katushaba should tell the rest of her story – it is inspiring.

L’article Tourism for Good est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

1. Safari tourism in Uganda

Throughout Uganda’s border closure and suspension of tourism, the National Park forests, home to mountain gorilla populations which attract thousands of tourists to the country, continued to be monitored by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) trackers in order to protect them and to continue the habitation process. This is essential conservation work, and during this time there has even been a significant ‘baby boom’, with gorilla families throughout Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks welcoming eight babies in less than three months.

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Публикация от Uganda Wildlife Authority (@ugwildlife)

Ugandan National Parks have already been open to domestic tourism since around the start of September, with the first visitor trek in Bwindi Inpenetrable National Park, Rushaga sector, on 08 September 2020. Now, with borders opening, the parks will welcome international visitors once again, and will be able to benefit from the important tourism revenue which contributes to the conservation efforts. Wildlife safari companies will be able to resume visits but will of course be required to implement important protocol which must be followed.

2. Open international borders

In a press conference in late September, President Yoweri Museveni stated, ‘The international airport and land borders will now be opened for tourists, coming in and going out, provided they tested negative 72 hours before arrival in Uganda’. Consequently, after being closed since March 23^rd, Entebbe International Airport has now reopened and has started to resume international flights. The Ugandan government has introduced very specific rules, unique to the continent, and all passengers, inbound or outbound, should research these before travelling.

The restrictions in place are:

• All passengers entering Uganda must have a negative PCR test performed less than 72 hours before boarding the aircraft enroute to Uganda. Without this, tourists will not be allowed to enter and citizens will have to purchase a test on arrival
• All outbound passengers leaving Uganda are also required to present a negative PCR test, taken no longer than 120 hours prior to departure from the country
• Face masks are required on the inbound flight and at all times in the airport terminal
• Social distancing of 1.5 metres from other passengers is mandatory in the arrival hall and baggage claim
• All passengers will be screened for high temperatures upon arrival and departure
• Fingerprints will be taken of all arriving passengers
• Any symptomatic passenger will be taken to Entebbe Referral Hospital, tested, and quarantined for 24-48 hours pending results

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Публикация от Uganda Tourism Board (@uganda_tourism_board)

Uganda has dropped all quarantine requirements for incoming passengers, provided they fulfil the PCR testing requirements (above) and are not symptomatic, and it is also not restricting countries that can enter. As of October 1, there is also still a nation-wide curfew, running daily from 9:00pm to 6:00am. If you have a flight between curfew hours, you can travel to/from the airport but must carry proof of travel with you.

L’article Uganda reopens borders and welcomes tourists back to nature est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.