DOCSLIB.ORG

CBD Strategy and Action Plan

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
CBD Strategy and Action Plan THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN II (2015-2025) Theme: Supporting Transition to a Middle Income Status and Delivery of Sustainable Development Goals E National Environment Management Authorityy N T S N U E R M I N P G L O S V E U S D E TA I N A B L E NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY (NEMA) October 2016 THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN II (2015-2025) Theme: Supporting Transition to a Middle Income Status and Delivery of Sustainable Development Goals E National Environment Management Authorityy N T S N U E R M I N P G L O S V E U S D E TA I N A B L E NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY (NEMA) October 2016 Copyright © 2016. National Environment Management Authority NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY (NEMA) P.O. Box 22255 Kampala Uganda [email protected] http://www.nemaug.org Citation: NEMA(2016), National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan II (2015-2025) ISBN: 978-9970-881-09-3 Editorial Team Sabino Francis Ogwal - Technical Editor James Elungat - Editor Monique Akullo - Editor Dr. Evelyn Lutalo - Editor Elizabeth Mutayanjulwa - Copy Editor Front cover photograph: The Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum), courtesy of Dr. Barirega Akankwasah TABLE OF CONTENTS ACRONYMS ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ IV FOREWORD ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� VI ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������VII EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� IX 1. INTRODUCTION ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 1 1.1 Background information ........................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Status of Biodiversity in Uganda ............................................................................................... 2 1.2.1 Biodiversity at the Species level .............................................................................................................2 1.2.2 Biodiversity description based on taxa ...................................................................................................3 1.2.3 Biodiversity distribution in Uganda ......................................................................................................4 1.2.4 Biodiversity in protected areas ...............................................................................................................5 1.2.5 Biodiversity outside protected areas.......................................................................................................6 1.3 Biodiversity trends in Uganda ................................................................................................... 8 1.3.1 Species trends ..........................................................................................................................................8 1.3.2 Habitat trends ........................................................................................................................................11 1.3.3 Status and trends of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes .....................................................................14 1.3.4 Status and trends of Pollinators...............................................................................................................17 2. THE IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY TO NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND POVERTY ERADICATION �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 18 2.1 The contribution of Agriculture .............................................................................................. 18 2.2 The contribution of forestry .................................................................................................... 19 2.3 The contribution of wildlife and tourism ................................................................................ 19 2.4 The contribution of wetlands .................................................................................................. 21 2.5 The contribution of fisheries resources .................................................................................... 21 2.6 Biodiversity and Health .......................................................................................................... 22 3. NEW AND EMERGING ISSUES ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 25 3.1 Taxonomy ............................................................................................................................... 25 3.2 Climate Change ...................................................................................................................... 26 3.3 Biotechnology and Biosafety ................................................................................................... 27 3.4 Genetically Modified Organisms ............................................................................................. 28 3.5 Oil Discovery in the Albertine Graben .................................................................................... 29 3.6 Development and use of biofuels in Uganda ........................................................................... 29 3.7 Biodiversity Disasters and hazards ........................................................................................... 31 3.8 Pollution ................................................................................................................................. 31 3.9 Green Procurement ................................................................................................................. 32 3.10 Invasive alien species .............................................................................................................. 32 4. GENERAL THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY IN UGANDA �������������������������������������������� 34 4.1 Causes of Biodiversity Loss ..................................................................................................... 34 4.2 Current efforts to Reduce Biodiversity Loss in Uganda ........................................................... 37 4.2.1 National Policies .....................................................................................................................................37 4.2.2 Legal Frameworks ...................................................................................................................................40 i 5. BACKGROUND TO THE NATIONAL BIOIDVESITY STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN 2015-2025 ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 43 5.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 43 5.2 Overview of the first NBSAP for Uganda ................................................................................ 43 5.3 Lessons learnt from implementing NBSAPI for Uganda ......................................................... 43 5.4 The updated context of NBSAPII ........................................................................................... 44 5.5 Overarching principles of NBSAPII ........................................................................................ 44 5.6 Linking NBSAPII to Uganda’s Vision 2040, NDP and SDGs ................................................. 45 5.7 Creating Synergies between the CBD and other international Conventions ���������������������������� 46 6. THE NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN: PRIORITIES AND TARGETS ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 47 6.1 Guiding Principles for the Development of NBSAPII ............................................................. 47 6.2 Vision, Goal and Strategic Objectives of NBSAPII ................................................................. 47 6.2.1 The Vision ..........................................................................................................................................47 6.2.2 Goal ...................................................................................................................................................47 6.2.3 The Strategic Objectives ......................................................................................................................47 6.3 The National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans ............................................................ 49 7. IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS ���������������������������������������������������������������������� 99 7.1 National Coordination ........................................................................................................... 99 7.2 The role of Sectoral Agencies ................................................................................................... 99 7.3 The role of District Local Governments .................................................................................. 99 7.4 The role of Local Communities ............................................................................................. 100 7.5 The role of NGOs ................................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Mysterious Land of Mist and Bog by Peter Bellarby
    Rwenzorì 225 The Mysterious Land of Mist and Bog - Rwenzori Peter Bellarby It was a long-lost land, or was it a fable? For many centuries there were stories of snowy mountains that fed water to the Nile. It started with the Greek Claudius Ptolemy who, it seems, in AD 150 produced his great work Geographia1 which included a map showing the source of the Nile at the Mountains of the Moon. It is likely that this was based on information in the great libraiy of Alexandria, later destroyed. This in turn must have stemmed from Arabian sailors who had gone down the east coast of Africa and had had contact with local people there. In the course of time the map was lost because of the difficulties of hand-copying it, but tables of places and coordinates remained, allowing the map to be recreated in mediaeval times. Cartographers used information from Ptolemy in their own maps, adding something of their own - was it based on factual information or just imagination? Thus Gerald Mercator Junior, basing his work on the map of 1569 made by his grandfather also Gerald Mercator, published a map which showed three large lakes and several smaller ones. Another map is that produced by Willen Blaeu3 and published in 1643-50. This shows two lakes just below Lunae Montes, Latin for Mountains of the Moon. Could these be Lake Victoria and Lake Albert? Both feed into the Nile, Victoria being some way east of Rwenzori, the other being to the NE of Rwenzori. So are the Rwenzori Mountains the same as the Mountains of the Moon of Ptolemy? Not necessarily, since both Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro have snowy tops and are much nearer to the east coast of Africa, from which it is assumed knowledge of the Mountains of the Moon reached Alexandria.
    [Show full text]
  • The Exploration of the Ruwenzori
    THE EXPlORATION OF THE RUWENZORl THE EXPLORATION OF THE RUWENZORI BY R. M. BERE OM earliest times, the ancient Mediterranean world was interested in the source of the Nile and there was clearly much conjecture amongst the geographers of those far off days, as frequent classical erences show. As explorers amongst the moderns, therefore, dis- covered one mountain after another in central Africa, each discovery, in its turn, was heralded as the mountainous source of the great river. When the German missionary Rebmann, and his colleague Dr. Krapf, first sighted Kilimanjaro in 1846, they thought that they had found the ~nows · to which the classics referred, as later did the discoverers of both Mount l{enya and the Bufumbiro volcanoes : these were all seen by European explorers before the Ruwenzori. Claudius Ptolemy, writing in about the year A.D. 150, was the first to make widely known to the western world that the source of the Nile lay in great lakes fed by streams from a snow mountain ; this he called the ' Mountains of the Moon.' His maps show the main features of the Nile valley with considerable accuracy and the longitude and latitude which he ascribes to his' Moun­ tains of the Moon' agree, in a remarkable degree, with the position actually occupied by the Ruwenzori : this of course, in no way, applies to the other mountain masses of central .Africa. This question is still argued by some, albeit th~re is little reason to support those who hold that it was not the Ruwenzori to which Ptolemy referred.
    [Show full text]
  • 11 A.G. Klein, J.L. Kincaid. a Reassessment of the Satellite Record
    64th EASTERN SNOW CONFERENCE St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada 2007 A Reassessment of the Satellite Record of Glacier Change in the Rwenzori Mountains, East Africa ANDREW G. KLEIN1 AND JONI L. KINCAID2 ABSTRACT Three massifs in Eastern Africa currently have glaciers. Glaciers in two of these, Mt. Kenya and Mt. Kilimanjaro, have received extensive study. The third, the Rwenzori Mountains on the border of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been the focus of less research, but some recent studies have been undertaken. Glaciers on all three massifs have been shrinking in recent decades. A recently published study has examined glacier retreat in the Rwenzori from 1987 to 2003 using Landsat satellite images. Our analysis of the images used in this study, however, reveals that the 1995 and 2003 images contain significant snow outside of the glaciers and therefore are unreliable indicators of glacier extent. Using a combination of Landsat, ASTER and SPOT images of the Rwenzori glaciers, ice areas have been reevaluated for the period 1987 to 2006. The Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI) and visual mapping were used to determine the glacier areas. Our analysis indicates that the glaciers in the Rwenzori have decreased in area from 2.55 km2 in 1987 to 1.31 km2 in 2006. These areas, like previous estimates, are not without their own uncertainties. Keywords: Remote Sensing, Glaciers, Tropics, Africa INTRODUCTION There are currently three massifs that support glaciers in Africa. Two of these ranges, Kibo on Kilimanjaro and Mt. Kenya have been the site of exhaustive studies. The third, the Rwenzori Range, which lies on the border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda (Figure 1) has received much less study though some work has recently been published (Kaser and Osmaston, 2002; Mölg et al., 2003; Taylor et al., 2006).
    [Show full text]
  • Mountain Protected Areas UPDATE No
    Mountain Protected Areas UPDATE No. 91 September 2016 In this issue: Jigme Dorji National Park, Bhutan New Members Spirit is a land of high white peaks and glittering jewel-like lakes People and Mountains around the world: and flowers. Life is sparse and sounds travel great distances. Global There is soul music, soul food, and soul love... People need to climb New WH Sites the mountain not simply because it is there but because the soulful Mountains at IUCN WCC divinity needs to be mated with the spirit. Dalai Lama Hitching a Ride Rights of Nature America A note from the editor GWS & Dave Harmon st Peel Watershed Welcome to the 91 edition of the Mountains UPDATE; coming to you a Mountain Institute - Peru little earlier due to the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Hawai’i Africa starting on 1st September – and not even attending the WCC should stand Itombwe Protected in the way of the UPDATE. Rwanda’s 4th NP Central Asia This edition highlights the reoccurring themes of science, management Ecotourism in Bhutan and communities working together and the current and projected impacts Snow Leopard Sanctuary of climate change on our mountain protected areas. Mining Sacred Mountains Australia And a special thank you to our Network friends that provided news and Alps Climate Futures reports from Africa. Europe Catalunya-Pedrera Foundation Finally the IUCN WCPA Mountains Biome has now become the WCPA Scree and Talus Mountain Specialist Group with Peter Jacobs taking over the position of Recent Publications of Interest Meetings and Events / Links Chair from Graeme Worboys who is ‘retiring’ in September.
    [Show full text]
  • Environmental Change Research Centre
    Environmental Change Research Centre Research Report No.113 Climate Change and the Aquatic Ecosystems of the Rwenzori Mountains, Uganda Final Report to the Royal Geographical Society R.G. Taylor, N.L. Rose, A.W. Mackay, V. Panizzo, L. Mileham, I. Ssemmanda, C. Tindimugaya, B. Nakileza, A. Muwanga & J. Hau 2007 ISSN: 1366-7300 Environmental Change Research Centre University College London Pearson Building, Gower St London, WC1E 6BT - 1 - Climate Change and the Aquatic Ecosystems of the Rwenzori Mountains, Uganda Final Report to the Royal Geographical Society R. G. Taylor 1, N.L. Rose 1, A.W. Mackay 1, V. Panizzo 1, L. Mileham 1, I. Ssemmanda 2, C. Tindimugaya 3, B. Nakileza 4 A. Muwanga 2 & J. Hau 1 2007 1. Environmental Change Research Centre University College London Pearson Building, Gower St. London, WC1E 6BT United Kingdom 2. Department of Geology Makerere University P.O. Box 7062, Kampala Uganda 3. Water Resources Management Department Directorate of Water Development P.O. Box 19, Entebbe Uganda 4. Department of Geography Makerere University P.O. Box 7062, Kampala Uganda - 1 - TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Introduction.........................................................................................................................................7 1.1 Project rationale and objectives ...................................................................................................7 1.2 Rwenzori Mountains National Park..............................................................................................9 1.3 Project planning
    [Show full text]
  • Taylor Et Al., 2009
    Journal of African Earth Sciences 55 (2009) 205–213 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of African Earth Sciences journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jafrearsci Recent glacial recession and its impact on alpine riverflow in the Rwenzori Mountains of Uganda Richard G. Taylor a,*, Lucinda Mileham a, Callist Tindimugaya b, Leo Mwebembezi b a Department of Geography, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK b Water Resources Management, Ministry of Water and Environment, P.O. Box 19, Entebbe, Uganda article info abstract Article history: The limited number and duration of hydrological measurements in the East African Highlands inhibit cur- Received 6 January 2009 rent understanding of the impact of glacial recession on alpine riverflow. From historical records and sur- Received in revised form 29 March 2009 veys conducted in the dry season of 2005 and wet season of 2007, we report (1) recent changes in the Accepted 9 April 2009 terminal positions of large valley glaciers (Speke, Elena) and (2) spot measurements of alpine riverflow Available online 5 May 2009 along altitudinal transects of the principal river (River Mubuku) draining alpine icefields in order to assess the relative contribution of icefields and underlying ecotones to river discharge. Observed acceler- Keywords: ation in the rates of termini retreat of the Speke and Elena glaciers since the late 1960s is attributed, in Glacier part, to the convex–concave slope profile in which these valley glaciers reside. We show that current gla- Tropics Riverflow cial recession has a negligible impact on alpine riverflow. Spot measurements of meltwater discharges Climate change indicate that icefields contribute considerably less than 2% of the river discharge at the base of the Africa Rwenzori Mountains during both dry and wet seasons.
    [Show full text]
  • Climate Change in the Rwenzori Mountains: Implications for the Bakonzo and Other Surrounding Communities
    June 2005 Climate Change in the Rwenzori Mountains: implications for the Bakonzo and other surrounding communities Photographs showing the retreat of the terminus of the Elena Glacier over 1.5 years from June 2003 to January 2005 (photo credit: R. Taylor). Glaciers that exist at the summit of the Rwenzori Mountains are very sensitive to at the base of the Rwenzori Mountains2. The higher discharge and cooler changes in climate. Over the last century, dramatic increases in the burning of temperatures observed for the River Mubuku compared to other rivers draining fossil fuels by industrialised countries have raised the concentration of carbon the Rwenzori Mountains result primarily from heavy rainfall exceeding 2000 dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. As CO2 concentrations rise, the atmosphere mm per year in upland Heath-moss and Montane Forest zones that comprise is better able to trap energy from the sun which not only warms the Earth the dominant proportion of the River Mubuku’s catchment. Consequently, the but affects other aspects of climate such as precipitation. Field surveys and decline in the area covered by glaciers in the Rwenzori Mountains has had a satellite observations reveal a rapid decline in the area covered by glaciers minimal impact on the flow of the River Mubuku and other rivers draining the on the Rwenzori Mountains1 from 6.5 km2 in 1906 to 1.0 km2 in 2003 (Figure 1). Rwenzori Mountains. However, a shift toward fewer but heavier rainfalls in the The average rate of decline is ~0.7 km2 per decade (Figure 2). If present trends Rwenzori Mountains which is expected to have occurred in response to the continue, glaciers are expected to disappear from the Rwenzori Mountains observed rise in air temperatures, enhances the seasonality in river flow and within the next two decades.
    [Show full text]
  • East African Safari January 1994
    East African Safari Kenya, Uganda, Zaire, Rwanda and Zimbabwe January/February 1994 Encounter Overland Gorillas, the Rwenzoris & Turkana Safari plus Mount Kenya Climb (Ian) Note: This is an edited version of the original manuscript with some personal stories and comments removed. Only first names of people are used throughout. Photographs have been added, mostly of campsites, the truck and the group. The story of the Mount Kenya climb is included for interest although it was not part of the EO trip. 1 Introduction After my 22 week “Africa A to Z” trip with Encounter Overland in 1989-90, I was keen to go back to Africa principally to visit the gorillas in Rwanda/Uganda. Many trips that included the gorillas also visited the game parks of Tanzania, including Serengeti and Ngorongor, which I had visited and din’t really need to visit again. So it was with great interest that I found the "Gorillas, Rwenzoris and Lake Turkana Safari" in the latest EO brochure. It was a four week expedition from Nairobi through northern Kenya, into Uganda and finishing in Rwanda at its capital, Kigali. This included almost entirely new terrain for me, except for the Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda. It also included a trek in the Rwenzori Mountains which would be a good break from the truck travel. And, of course, the gorillas in Rwanda. So having checked dates, airline schedules and so forth, the booked three months in advance. In conjunction with this planning I had also been reading about the possibility of climbing Mount Kenya.
    [Show full text]
  • Rwenzori Mountains National Park, Uganda (N684)
    RWENZORI MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK, UGANDA (N684) Uganda Wildlife Authority report of October, 2019 Site Manager: Mr. JAMES OKWARE ILUKOL Senior Warden In –charge Rwenzori Mountains National Park (WHS) P.O Box 188, Kasese Tel. +256 – 754-330-224 E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Compiled by: JOHN MAKOMBO Director Conservation/ UNESCO Focal Person Uganda Wildlife Authority P.O Box 3530, Kampala Tel. Office: +256 414 355000: Mob. +256 772 665225 E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] 0 | P a g e STATE OF CONSERVATION REPORT FOR RWENZORI MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK - UGANDA Submitted to the World Heritage Centre, UNESCO October 15, 2019 1. INTRODUCTION Rwenzori mountains National Park (RMNP) World Heritage Property (number 684) is located in Uganda. It’s a Natural property, was inscribed on the world heritage list in 1994. 2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Rwenzori Mountains National Park is World Heritage Property number 684 is a natural property located in Uganda. RMNP was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1994. Following the 42nd World Heritage (WH) Committee Conference in Manana in June 2018, a number of decisions were generated with Decision 42COM 7B.95 particularly focusing on issues that are likely to affect the maintenance of Outstanding Universal values of RMNP. These issues included the need for continued coordinated patrols with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), allegation that Copper Mining at Kilembe could be impacting the general environment including the Virunga National Park WH property, the need to adopt the standard line transect while undertaking the Chimpanzee census, the impacts of the cable car project to the site, impacts resulting from development of Sindila and Nyamwamba hydropower (HEP) and the need for conduction of elephant census.
    [Show full text]
  • The Africa's Third Tallest Mountain Ranges
    THE AFRICA’S THIRD TALLEST MOUNTAIN RANGES RWENZORI MOUNTAINS (MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON) By Muthahinga Moses Kaheru Chairman Rwenzori Mountaineering Services (2021) Over three million years ago, the land that is now Rwenzori Mountains, thrust up as a block of crystalline rocks from the western arm of the East African rift valley to form Africa’s 3rd. tallest mountain ranges the Rwenzoris which are also known as the Mountains of The Moon is located in western Uganda bordering with the DRC. The Mountains of the Moon rise above a burst of white breath which shapes clouds amidst acres of blue sky as they intercept the trade winds high up in the sky. These magnificent Rwenzori Mountains and their foothills sweep down like welcome mats and to those who seek adventure, it is a monumental fixture of Uganda’s natural endowments. Info about Rwenzori Mountains National Park The size of the national park is 996KM2 and its Geographical location is Western Rift Valley at Uganda’s border with Democratic Republic of Congo. The coordinate location is latitude 0. The park was gazetted on 1st. July, 1991 and its altitude is up to 5109 m ASL with the length of 100km long and 50km wide. The Rwenzori Mountains is spread across 5 districts in Uganda which are; Kasese, Bunyangabu, Kabarole, Ntoroko and Bundibugyo districts. To the west of the Rwenzori Mountains in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are mineral deposits of unimaginable riches and to the south is the huge expanse of Lakes Gorge and Edward, flooded to the deepest blue coloring everything around you and becoming more and more intense the farther one gazes over the Congo.
    [Show full text]
  • English Version (PDF)
    THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA FIFTH NATIONAL REPORT TO THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY MINISTRY OF WATER AND ENVIRONMENT MARCH 2014 Fifth National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity – Uganda March 2014 Page 1 Copy Right: National Environment Management Authority Citation: NEMA (2014): Fifth National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Kampala, Uganda ISBN: 978-9970-881-08-6 EDITORIAL TEAM Sabino Francis Ogwal Editor In-Chief Daniel Babikwa (PhD) Technical Editor Esther Katuura (PhD) Technical Editor Festus Bagoora (PhD) Technical Editor Margaret Aanyu Technical Editor Ronald Kaggwa Technical Editor Christine Akello Technical Editor Jennifer Naiga Technical Editor Aaron Werikhe Technical Editor Elizabeth Mutayanjulwa Editor/design Monique Akullo Editor Fifth National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity – Uganda March 2014 Page 2 THE WORKING GROUP FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE FIFTH NATIONAL REPORT Overall Coordinator Sabino Francis Ogwal Part I: Biodiversity status, trends, and threats and implications for human well-being. Esther Katuura (PhD) Team Leader Akankwasa Barirega Member Issa Katwesige Member Aggrey Rwetsiba Member Justine Namara Member Innocent Akampurira Member Norah Namakambo Member Leone Candia Member Owesigyere George Member Sabino Francis Ogwal Member Michael Opige Member Part II: The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, its implementation, and the mainstreaming of biodiversity Sabino Francis Ogwal Team Leader Beatrice Adimola Member
    [Show full text]
  • Explorers Club Flag Report 2008
    FLAG EXPEDITION REPORT Flag Number 89 The 2008 Mount Stanley Expedition Into the Mountains of the Moon Submitted by Julian Monroe Fisher FI00, F.R.G.S. Submission Date - November 4, 2008 Flag Number: 89 The 2008 Mount Stanley Expedition - Into the Mountains of the Moon Preface I would like to thank The Explorers Club for allowing me the honour to carry Flag # 89. The fl ag was carried in the past by others, to include Colonel Norman Vaughan. Without the support of the late Colonel Vaughan and his wife and fellow explorer Carolyn, I would not be a member of the club. I also might not even be an explorer. For long ago when I met them both at the Alaska State Fair in Fairbanks, without their encouragement, I might possibly have walked off the trail and back into everyday life. Introduction In the spring of 2007 as expedition leader of The Colorado African Expedition, a Trans-African overland crossing from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean, I fi rst travelled into the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains, the fabled ‘Mountains of the Moon’. At the time what led our team into the Rwenzoris was the search for an illusive group of Batwa pygmies that had become marginalized and forced from the rainforest where they had lived for over 20,000 years. The Batwa in other parts of Uganda were removed from their ancestral lands by the government of Uganda and the Uganda Wildlife Authority in order to provide a natural habitat for the diminishing populations of mountain gorillas.
    [Show full text]