- Mount Stanley’s twin summits, is Africa’s Mount Stanley’s twin summits, is Africa’s third highest peak with a height of 5,109 m (16,762 ft). Africa’s fourth and fifth highest peaks Mts Speke and Baker are also located in the park. The park has glaciers, snow fields, waterfalls, and lakes and is one of Africa’s most beautiful mountain areas. The park is under the management of Wildlife Authority. - A BUSINESS CASE FOR PRIVATE CASE FOR PRIVATE A BUSINESS TO CONSERVE SECTOR SUPPORT ECOSYSTEM MOUNTAINS RWENZORI UG BRIEF 2016 Background of Mt Rwenzori Supporting farmers to adopt good land management practices can improve land productivity as well as the Supporting farmers to adopt good land management quality and quantity of water resources The National Park (RMNP) is unique tourist attraction that serves as a global biodiversity hotspot and regional economic hub. It was gazetted as a National Park in 1991. In 1994 it was declared a World Heritage Site because of its cultural and scenic beauty and therefore raising its conservation status to an In ternational level. Margherita Peak, one of © SUSAN TUMUHAIRWE/WWFUGANDA

∙ A BUSINESS CASE FOR PRIVATE SECTOR SUPPORT TO CONSERVE RWENZORI MOUNTAINS ECOSYSTEM ∙ Fax: +256 414 531166 @WWFUganda by supporting communities @wwfuganda.org WWF-Uganda reputation associated with conserving the conserving with associated reputation development) (sustainable environment to enhance opportunities and provides and strategic business image, visibility advantage impacts depend on water and Businesses in watershed protection on it. Investing risk (i.e.: sedimentation, helps manage business etc.) and develop new opportunities. e.g. Involvement of companies companies, hydropower and utility of land etc. Would ensure mitigation which contributes degradation upstream increases operation to water siltation that users costs of downstream treasure and Rwenzori is a national would be participation in its conservation hand and good a great give back on one practice on the other. able to contribute to investment for mitigation and/or minimize impacts of floods and land degradation within the landscape through on-farm and off-farms activities. Bilateral action on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy efforts for conservation around the park, strengthening institutional and technical capacity of RMNP (collaborative boundary management, community based tourism, infrastructure development, communication facilities, etc.). This will improve biodiversity conservation and benefits to the communities with a long term perspective. Email: WWF Uganda Country Office, Plot No. 2, Sturrock Road, Kololo P.O. Box 8758, Kampala, Uganda Tel: +256 414 540064/5, For more information: • • • • for companies within Supporting a Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) pilot water scheme the landscape that directly benefit from catchments of Nyamwamba and . The more companies are engaged, the greater the likelihood that siltation and associated costs and disruption to business operations will be reduced. Companies will be Given the threats faced by the Rwenzori landscape, scaling up efforts to protect it requires participation of the private sector. WWF Uganda seeks partnerships with private sector on; • Call forCall Action! were beamed to various side events various side beamed to were called A campaign conference. at the of global raise awareness meant to 25zero mountains along equator warming on Rwenzoris featured the tourism recognition brings International with its accompanying to the site, for private sector economic benefits players involved. enables Supporting in the Rwenzoris with WWF; a private sector to identify international brand that has built strong over 50 years. reputation for the last working This WWF brand is already companies with many private sector would all over the world. Companies platforms continue gaining international expertise and across all WWF networks, publications. Collaboration on the Rwenzoris enhances • • • Brief - 2016

lands that are significant for water The Private sector companies purification in lower catchment areas. Status of the catchment like Hydro Power Plant and Hima Cement • Tourism Destination: The Park The landscape and its ecosystem are under threat of degradation. Limited have been very ac- is a host to 70 mammals, 217 bird A combination of climate change related factors (including heavy tive in financing catchment species including 19 Albertine Rift rains, extreme dry seasons) and human actions like unsustainable management activities in the endemic species as well as snowfields land management practices (including historical and on-going sub catchments. Their efforts and glaciers on the steeply rugged diversion of rivers, construction of power plants, farming on steep have seen over 10km of river peaks. slopes etc.) have increased susceptibility of landscape and are © WWF-CANON/SIMON RAWLES banks and once deforested threatening the sustainability of the catchment. These climate • Mineral Extraction: The areas restored. Tibet Hima related factors have brought about high levels of water siltation landscape is home to mining Industry Company Ltd, and irregularity flow which increasingly pose operational, regula- interests including , National Water and Sewer- tory and reputational risks to businesses downstream. Increas- Cobalt Company Limited age Corporation (NWSC) and ing population and poverty levels of communities adjacent to (KCCL) and Hima Cement plant, Barclays Bank Kasese branch the park remain a big threat. Eventually, if unattended to, the among others. Employ in excess of have equally been undertak- communities will encroach on the park. Besides, the park is inad- 100,000 people from the District ing conservation activities in equately funded. and beyond (Kasese DLG 2015). the landscape. Rewarding communities who adopt better land management practices upstream ensures shared responsibility with the private • Climate regulation: The The local sector in sustaining water quality and quantity downstream Mountains are also strong regulators Efforts being undertaken to address the issues government introduced by- of climate. This is because the Park is laws to protect the ecosystem An appraisal conducted by WWF Uganda recently showed that a host to a tropical forest that is good and supported community very few conservation options and little or no sustainable financ- Importance of the RMNP Landscape for carbon storage sensitization on human activi- ing mechanisms exist for conservation of the RMNP landscape. ties that would conserve the • Research: The RMNP has Mountain landscapes and water catchments have environment. aided medical research, studies enormous economic, socioeconomic and conservation in anthropology and in climatic importance in Uganda. This Landscape supports about patterns. This is attributed to the Reasons for Private two million people most of whom are engaged in agri- presence of some of the world’s cultural livelihoods. RMNP is important in the follow- Sector Involvement rarest and virgin vegetation the ing ways; landscape. • The private sector gains • A Water Tower: The RMNP landscape is a water • Ecosystem services values: much from credit associated catchment that supplies water for domestic and A recent economic study with supporting and public use; industry, institutions and community commissioned by WWF Uganda protecting the RMNP that livelihoods. The importance of this resource is on the value of RMNP showed an is both a Ramsar and World demonstrated by the presence of; annual economic value of UGX 790 © SUSAN TUMUHAIRWE/WWFUGANDA Heritage Site. - Agricultural/irrigation schemes billion/ year in watershed ecosystem - Power generation by four mini-hydropower sta- • In partnering with RMNP, services for a narrow area of 233,340 tions the private sector would ha; i.e. an economic return per year - Development of an additional hydropower power gain good visibility on of UGX 3.4 million/ha. Watershed station underway international scene. ecosystem services values comprise - Potential hydropower output from the catchments RMNP is already enjoying of domestic use and supply, approximates 50 Megawatts (ERA 2015). International media regulated water abstracted for - Domestic support to one of the leading urban visibility. During the COP21 electricity, wetland annual values, industrial bases in the country (NWSC 2015). meeting in Paris, France forested land and stumpage value for example, images of the This water also feeds into Lakes George and Edward, and carbon sequestration values. Improving water resources management can enhance industrial growth in Rwenzori Mountain peaks forms part of Lake Victoria and Albert Nile and Wet- the landscape and beyond