Kabale Wetlands, Uganda: ALTER Project Site Description

Kabale wetlands, Uganda: ALTER project site description

Charlie Langan (Carbon Foundation of East Africa) & Jenny Farmer (University of Aberdeen) June 2014

Table of Contents

Ruhumma Wetland System ...... 3 Wetland location ...... 3 Project site ...... 3 Soil uses and management ...... 4 Land management ...... 5 Site history ...... 6 Wetland Values ...... 6 Kanyabaha- Rushoma Wetlands ...... 8 Wetland location ...... 8 Project site ...... 8 Soil uses and management ...... 9 Land management ...... 9 Site history ...... 10 Wetland Values ...... 10

Ruhumma Wetland System

Wetland location The Ruhumma wetland system is located in Rubanda county in the northwest area of Kabale District, about 35 km southwest of Kabale town along the Kabale – Kisoro road. The wetland starts at where the river Ruhumma flows out of Lake Bunyonyi, under the Kabale-Kisoro road near to Muko trading centre. It runs northwards, through a valley bottom before opening up at the confluence with Kigeyo river and wetland system (heavily degraded) from the northeast. The river continues to the northwest, passing into the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, globally renown for the mountain gorillas; a number of which have been habituated and provide a major source of income to Uganda Wildlife Authority from international tourism.

The wetland covers 5.47 km2 at an altitude of 1,930m above sea level and is surrounded by rural communities who cultivate the upland slopes. There islittle development in the area apart from a wolfram mine at Nyamuliro. The wetland has experienced significant degradation, especially within the last 20 years. Between 2007-2010, Ruhumma was the location of efforts made by Nature Uganda to restore parts of the wetland and the results are still evident.

The major threats to the wetland are encroachment and drainage for cultivation as farmers search for alternative agricultural land, hunting, burning, silting, and over exploitation of products. Deforestation and poor agricultural and land management practices in the hills have resulted into erosion and run-off that finds its way into the wetland. Silting is one of the threats and is mainly due to deforestation and unsustainable cultivation methods on the hills in the catchment areas and the mining activities.

Project site The ALTER sites are located at either end of the Ruhumma wetland complex in Muko and Nyamuliro, in Muko sub county. The site at Muko remains heavily degraded, while at Nyamuliro there has been extensive restoration of the wetland vegetation. The wetland borders three of the six parish within Muko sub county; Butare, Kaara and Nyarurambi. In Butare 2 of the 12 villages are in close proximity to the wetland; Mukibungo and Habutobere. In Kaara parish, 7 of the 16 villages are in close proximity to the wetland; Rwamurindwa, Nshanjare, Rushebeya, Bisizi, Kakangaga, Kabindi and Kivunga (although only 2 border the Ruhumma wetland). In Nyarurambi parish, five of the thirteen villages are in close proximity to the wetland; Kagoye, Bicerere, Bugunga, Rushambya, Rushunga and Katasya (although only three border the Ruhumma wetland).

At Muko there is a large trading centre and market due to its proximity to the main road, and other smaller trading centres are located at Kagogye, Begunga and Mukibungo/Rwamurinda.

Parish Village No of Households Population Butare Mukibungo 147 675 Habutobere 201 1035 Kaara Rwamurindwa 52 286 Kakangaga 122 Nyarurambi Bicerere 204 910 Bugunga 239 1194 Kagoye 122 561 Table 1: Village size and population in villages surrounding the Ruhumma wetland. Source: ALTER field research

Soil uses and management The population is predominantly comprised of members of the Bakiga tribe who are generally subsistence cultivators. The wetland soil in Ruhumma is highly organic, peat soil. Field surveys show that the organic soil is over 10 m deep, even at the wetland edge. The wetland has been heavily encroached upon for cultivation, which mainly takes between May and October for potato growing on a small scale commercial basis. Outwith this principle growing season, small scale cultivation of maize, sweet potatoes, cabbages and beans continues, but much of the wetland is left fallow when weeds and some wetland grasses and vegetation grow. When new beds are prepared, this fallow vegetation is incorporated into the soil.

The wetland is divided up into a number of cooperative societies that manage the wetland; Rurigita Farmers’ Cooperative Society, Mukibungo Kanwyoora Swamp Growers Cooperative Society, Bukombe-Ruhita Beekeepers Cooperative Society, Bugunga Multipurpose Cooperative Society and Nyarurambi Growers (clockwise order from Muko). There are also a small number of affluent, private growers and the Catholic church that have plots on the edge of the wetland.

Potato beds are prepared in May at the end of the short rainy season. Beds are approximately 80 cm wide and 60 cm high above the trench bottom. Beds are approximately 40-150 cm apart.

The size of Irish potatoes from wetland soils are much larger compared to those from the slopes, and wetlands are commonly believed to be much more productive than mineral soils, although there is widespread acknowledgement of declining yields and fertility. The government supplies subsidised seed potatoes through the NAADS extension workers at the sub-county offices in Muko. Insecticide is commonly used to protect potato crops as well as spraying for protection against potato wilt. Fertilizers are used, although not systematically and are either applied as spray or into the ground at time of planting. A recent development has been the use of weed killer that is applied to clear weeds prior to preparing potato beds. Due to a number of diseases, seed potatoes are best sourced from higher, cooler climes, and wetland seed potato are widely recognised as being contaminated with wilt.

Between 2007 – 2010, Nature Uganda worked in the area to encourage the communities to restore some of the wetland function. Throughout the whole Ruhumma system a 50 ft riparian strip of papyrus has been re-established along the edge of the central drainage channel. In some management blocks, beekeepers have restored some papyrus to encourage the bees, and have their beehives located around the newly grown stands. The Bugunga Society has undertaken extensive restoration with replanting large areas of papyrus and designating zones for cultivation and conservation.

Cultivation is extensive along the slopes surrounding the wetland, as well as eucalyptus planting. The main upland crops here include potato growing (February to April) and subsistence crops like beans, maize and sorghum. Small-scale commercial crops like tobacco and tea are occasionally cultivated, and are increasingly being encouraged by the local government extension workers. Soil erosion from the slopes into the wetland is an issue; an initial soil core found over 70cm of mineral soil had been deposited on top of the organic wetland soils near the wetland edge at Nyamuliro. Soil and water conservation demonstration activities have been implemented on surrounding hill slopes, although the continuation of their uptake is uncertain.

Land management At the top end of the wetland, the Rurigita Farming Cooperative Society manage most of the wetland, although the edges are privately managed by one farmer on the west side and the Catholic Church Parish on the east who have planted eucalyptus as well. The next block down is managed by the Muchibungo Cooperative Society on the majority of the wetland, with the Nyarurambe Growers managing the eastern part, to the east of the main drainage channel. The next block is managed by the Rukombe Ruhita Beekeepers Society. At the downstream end of the wetland, the Bugongo Multipurpose Cooperative Society manage the full width of the wetland, from Rushebeya village in Kaara, to Bicherere village and across to Rwamulindwa village in Kaara again.

Management Organisation Area No of Members Rurigita Farmer’s Cooperative 34.4 ha 102 Society Mukibungo Kanwyoora Swamp 49.8 ha 100 Growers Cooperative Society Bukombe-Ruhita Beekeepers 25 ha 82 Cooperative Society Bugunga Multipurpose 280 ha 200 Cooperative Society Nyarurambi Growers 28 Table 2: Area covered by cooperative management groups within the Ruhumma wetland. Source ALTER field research.

Farmers buy shares in a cooperative, buying existing farmers out of the cooperative and paying a joining fee to the cooperative. A share consists of a number plots, between 3-8, of different sizes (e.g. 50 x 200m, 100 x 200m, 100 x 150m) at different, scattered position wetland (near the central drainage channel, middle and the wetland edge). A share in wetland management society is reported to cost 1.5 m – 6 m UGX. Many who hold wetland shares are not from communities directly adjacent to the wetland, but more affluent farmers across the county and district. There is a high frequency of shareholder turnover, although the number of net members remains constant.

Each management block, although following similar land use practices has some variation in management, e.g. in the Bukombe-Ruhita Beekeepers Cooperative Society, each member must have their own beehive. Most of the wetland management societies have linked, associated Savings And Credit Cooperative Organisations (SACCOs). One society does not allow for selling of plots, but its members often rent them to others on a seasonal basis.

Potato cultivation is conducted on a small scale and commercial basis. In a 50x 100 m plot, 10 sacks of potatoes can be harvest after 4 months with little input after soil preparation and harvesting, although yields can be as low as 5 sacks. Harvested potatoes are manually carried to the road (approx 1-4 km) in half sacks and sold at the roadside. Famers often employ seasonal labour to dig and prepare potato beds, and harvest, with labourers coming from Rwanda and Kisoro District. A sack of potatoes fetches 80,000 UGX from a truck passing to Kampala. In the restored wetland at Nyamuliro, community members use and sell a number of wetland products such as papyrus for rope, thatch and handicrafts, and fish are now caught (using papyrus traps).

Site history Wetland edge cultivation reportedly began in the 1980s with one farmer. However two government policies were simultaneous very influential in the attempted conversion of Ruhumma wetland; firstly, at this time co-operative societies were promoted as part of government policy for channelling support and encouraged to acquire leases and access bank loans. Secondly, a previous government policy of tackling land pressures in the area though a programme of wetland reclamation was still in place. However, efforts to reclaim the wetland were repeatedly frustrated by regular seasonal flooding and deep waters.

In the late 1990s, renewed efforts by a large group of community members in the five parishes came together and opened the river channel from downstream, and succeeded in completing the drainage of the system and resulted in the almost full reclamation of the wetland for cultivation. This seems to have coincided with a reportedly prolonged dry season that lowered the water levels.

Wetland Values Nyamuriro has been identified as a nationally and globally Important Bird Area (IBA) because of its unique biodiversity values and criteria under the BirdLife International Important Bird Areas global programme. Nyamuriro contains a number of unique plants and animal species characteristic of Albertine Rift montane swamps. It is believed to be the best site for a number of papyrus endemic bird species in Africa with two of the 28 globally threatened species found in Uganda namely the Papyrus Yellow Warbler and the Papyrus Gonolek. Other biodiversity include the swamp-restricted Sitatunga, the African Clawless Otter, Xenopus frogs and Mudfish.

Monitoring reports and field assessment from Nature Uganda in 2001, state that over 60% of the original intact swamp has been drained and converted for crop production and other human activities. This is strongly suspected to have already led to loss of some biodiversity as is reflected by the absence of some keystone bird species that previously occurred there e.g. Papyrus Gonolek, Papyrus yellow warbler, greater Swamp Warbler, and White-winged Warbler. There is presently a flock of approximately 50 Grey Crowned Cranes, Uganda’s national bird, that spend their daily feeding time in the wetland.

After drainage, there is anecdotal evidence that wells and springs started drying up and gardens in the adjacent plots to the wetland started drying up.

A rapid assessment carried out in 2014, showed that peat depth at the edge of the swamp to be in excess of 8 m. Conservatively, this suggests a peat volume of 43.76 M m3 with an associated carbon stock of approximately 2.2 M tons C.

Kanyabaha- Rushoma Wetlands

Wetland location Rushebeya-Kanyabaha wetland complex is located in Rukiga county in the northeast of Kabale District. The upper part of the wetland complex has two tributaries; the Nomuremu river, which flows northwest under the Kabale-Mbarara highway at Muhanga, passing through Kanigondo, Kyerero and Nomuremu wetland systems, and the Lwakizameura river which flows northwards through Lwakizamburn and Rushebeya wetlands where the two systems join. At this confluence, the wetland is permanent and papyrus dominated with deep water. The system continues through a series of intact permanent wetlands; Kanshanana, Kanyabwig and Kanyabaha. In the middle of Kanyabaha there is a deep lake. Below Kanyabaha wetland, the valley bottom was drained under Government programme in the 1960s and 70s, and the wetlands of Rushoma and Ruborga are significantly degraded. The system continues to drain northwest where it passes into Rukungiri District. At Kisizi, the river powers a hydro scheme generating electricity for a hospital and the surrounding communities, before draining in to Lake Edward, a RAMSAR site. The wetland originally stretched the whole length of the valley from Muhanga to Kisizi crossing 3 sub counties; Bukinda, Rwamucucu and Kashambya, a distance of about 33 km. The intact wetlands between Rushebeya and Kanyabaha cover approximately 5.5 km2.

Project site The ALTER project sites are located in Kashambya sub county. The upper site is located in the Kanyabaha wetland; a section of intact wetland bordered by the parishes of Kitanga on the northeastern edge of the wetland and Katunga on the opposite side of the valley to the southwest of the wetland. The lower site is degraded and drained Rushoma wetland, close to the Kashambya sub county headquarters, where potato cultivation and cattle grazing both take place. The degraded wetland is bordered by the parishes of Rutengye and Nyakashebeya, near a trading centre located in the village of Nyruziba, with smaller trading centres located at Kantare and Kahoko/Kakirare.

Parish No of Population Villages No of Population Villages (UBOS close to Households 2002) wetlands Kitanga 15 5341 Kahoko 64 329 Kakirare 93 415 Kitunga 19 3361 Murutunga 41 165 Mumuremere 57 252 Rwengongo 45 233 Rutengye 13 4777 Kantare 140 624 Nyaruziba 163 666 Nyakashebeya 11 3148 Nyakitabire 118 485 Table 3: Number of households and populations within villages surrounding Kanyabaha-Rushoma wetland. Source: ALTER field research.

Soil uses and management The intact wetland system is a mixture of both papyrus and wetland grass vegetation, and is heavily waterlogged. The wetland is maintained primarily as a source of fisheries and papyrus materials for local communities. There is unlimited papyrus harvesting with is used to make mats, fish traps and other handicrafts. Burning of the wetland is not allowed, however this has been a significant problem in the past. Hunting is permitted on a subsistence basis only. At Kitanga wetland there is a fish ponds project, belonging to a community based organisation, however there are complicated access issues due to a private individual claiming ownership.

Further downstream, from Kantare village through the rest of the Kashambya sub- county and down to Kisizi, the wetland has been drained by a main drainage canal. The degraded wetland area is used for planting crops such as Irish potatoes, and grazing pastures for dairy cattle. Eucalyptus is commonly found along the wetland edge. Irish potatoes are planted out in the wetlands in April to June, at a time when raised beds are dug and prepared, to keep the potatoes out of any water logging of the soil. After this time the potatoes are then harvested, and from October onwards the soils are left fallow or cultivated for maize and cabbages.

All around the wetland are steep slopes that are heavily cultivated or planted with eucalyptus. Tea is a recently introduced crop, which is being promoted by the Government and starting to be planted on the slopes around, and encroachment of tea into the wetlands has occurred by the Kitanga fishponds.. Due to increased frequency of flooding and landslides, disaster management committees have been set up within each sub-county.

Land management The series of intact wetlands are managed by a wetland management group that covers all three sub-counties, and is also protected under the sub-county management. The group however has limited resources and as a result rarely meets. Management of the wetland de facto falls to the sub county. Rwengongo village in Kitunga parish has set up its own wetland management group which enforces and prevents inappropriate use of the wetland.

From Katare down to Kisizi there are no wetland management committees or farmers associations managing the wetland cultivation. Around Kashambya sub-county headquarters, informal groups are forming to develop rules restricting grazing during periods of no cultivation, as it hardens the ground. There are some local by-laws detailing that cultivation should be a certain distance from the main river-way (drainage canal), but these are not adhered to.

Over time leaseholds were obtained for areas within the wetland, although with the introduction of wetland drainage restrictions and the development of environmental law in the late 1980’s and in the 1990’s it then became illegal for anyone to own wetlands as they were placed in trust to the Government for the people of Uganda. Since then any leaseholds coming up for renewal have not been renewed, and any freehold titles have been cancelled. However, people continue to feel ownership over the wetland areas, buying and selling plots using seller’s agreements and considering the wetlands as their private land. In 2010 in the run up to the national elections the vice-president came to the area and declared that people could use the wetlands as they wanted to, in an attempt to solicit votes. This resulted in NEMA abandoning attempts to evict encroachers. The issue remains emotive today, as during initial scoping visits to the site, ALTER researchers were constantly asked whether they were working with NEMA.

Site history Drainage within this system began as early as the 1940’s, with the main drainage channel from Kashambya down to Kisizi dug in 1942. Other parts of the system were drained over the 1960’s and 70’s, although excessive drainage leading to water shortages then resulted in a halt in further drainage (MWLE, 2001).

NEMA undertook evictions and restoration within the wetlands, although enforcement of this is limited, and the NWP/WMD established an area of wetland conservation for the protection of the wetland antelope, the Sitatunga. A core conservation area is still relatively intact, although the majority of this wetland system is degraded for agricultural use. Some of the wetter cultivated areas have well defined drainage channels and raised beds, and there is evidence of some abandoned cultivated areas due to water logging. Wetter, middle parts of the wetland retain papyrus due to its un- cultivability and a river runs through the valley, often channelled by the central drainage canal. Fishing in the wetter areas continues and papyrus is used for making fish traps and thatching. There is peat soil in both the degraded and intact areas, an initial investigation showed peat depths of approximately 5.5 m.

NEMA and NWP/WMD have an interest in the conservation of the wetland due to their past efforts.

Wetland Values The areas of papyrus growth maintain some of the more traditional services to communities, including material for making fish traps, presence of fish and clean water. In the upper areas of the wetland system, around Muhanga, there is extensive harvesting of papyrus for use as thatch, although this is now threatened by over- harvesting by tea nursery developers (to use the thatch as nursery shade).

At Kisizi the 300 MW hydropower station was upgraded from 60 MW in 2010. Water flow data has been collected for the time since 2010. In the past year there have been two instances of water shortage (July 2013, February 2014) which have resulted in the shutdown of the station. Typically, once a month the station also has to be shutdown to clear out the build-up of silt and rubbish that accumulates.