GROUND SURVEY OF LARGE TO MEDIUM MAMMALS IN NAKASEKE DISTRICT CONCESSION AREA UGANDA Report prepared by F. Wanyama, F. E, Kisame, A. Rwetsiba, I. Bwire, H. Agaba and N. Enyagu UGANDA WILDLIFE AUTHORITY November 2017 Table of Contents Table of Contents -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------i List of Acronyms ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- iii Acknowledgements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ iv Summary --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- v CHAPTER 1: Survey of Wild Animals in Nakaseke District----------------------------------------------- 1 Introduction----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Objective of the survey -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 CHAPTER 2: Census Method --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 Survey design-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 Method used to count animals ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 CHAPTER 3: Data Analysis and Results ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 7 Data Analysis -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 Results----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 Wild animal distribution maps ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 Poaching ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 13 CHAPTER 4: Discussion----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17 Conservation status in the Area------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17 Population trends ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19 Threats to Wildlife Conservation and Wildlife Enterprise programs --------------------------------------- 21 Sustainability and prospects of wildlife conservation and wildlife enterprise program---------------- 21 CHAPTER 5: Conclusion ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22 Recommendations ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22 REFERENCES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 23 Appendix I: GPS start and end points (survey coordinates) for transects ---------------------- 24 Appendix II: Ground Survey Data Sheet --------------------------------------------------------------------- 28 Appendix III: Ground Survey Crew------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 29 List of table Table 3.1: Densities and population estimate of wild animals in Nakaseke district, August 2017........8 Table 3.2: Species encountered in low numbers ..................................................................................9 Table 4.1: Comparison of 2005 and 2015 Class areas.......................................................................18 Table 4.2: Population trends and augmentation..................................................................................19 Table 4.3: Areas proposed for excision from the concession area .....................................................19 List of Figure Figure 1.1: Location of Nakaseke district ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 Figure 1.2: Map showing sub counties of Nakaseke district under concession agreement-------- 4 Figure 2.1: Location of transects in Nakaseke concession survey zone ------------------------------- 5 Figure 3.1: The perpendicular distance data for bushbuck in Nakaseke survey zone with the fitted Hazard Rate Curve generated by DISTANCE. --------------------------------------------------------------- 8 Figure 3.2: Species distribution map of bushbuck, reedbuck, duiker and vervet monkey-------- 10 Figure 3.3: Species distribution map of Uganda kob, oribi and waterbuck--------------------------- 11 Figure 3.4: Locations of charcoal burning kilns in the district ------------------------------------------- 12 Figure 3.5: Charcoal burning activities------------------------------------------------------------------------ 13 Figure 3.6: Bush meat seizure---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 i Figure 3.7: Bushbuck carcasses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 Figure 3.8: Poachers arrested and bushbuck caught by a snare -------------------------------------- 15 Figure 3.9: Hunting gears---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16 Figure 4.1: Land cover map of Nakaseke district survey area for 2005 and 2015 ----------------- 17 Figure 4.2: Area in Nakaseke district cleared for agriculture -------------------------------------------- 18 Figure 4.3: Proposed extent of the concession area in Nakaseke District --------------------------- 20 ii List of Acronyms CDS Conventional Distance Sampling GPS Global Positioning System KCA Kibale Conservation Area LMNP Lake Mburo National Park MECA Mt. Elgon Conservation Area MFCA Murchison Falls Conservation Area QECA Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area SRF Systematic Reconnaissance Flights UWA Uganda Wildlife Authority UWEC Uganda wildlife Education center UWSL Uganda Wildlife Safaris Limited iii Acknowledgements Uganda Wildlife Authority organized and carried out this survey of large to medium mammals in Nakaseke District. We are grateful to the Resident District Commissioner, Nakaseke District who gave the exercise a green light. We thank the Chief Wardens of KCA, MECA, LMNP, MFCA, QECA, in charges of UWEC, and ZIWA who timely provided the staff that undertook the survey. We thank the Ministry of Tourism Wildlife and Antiquities that seconded two staff (Mr. Candia Leone and Mr. Okiror Stephen Fred) who participated in the survey. Special thanks go to the Commandants of Singo and Kaweweta Military Barracks for the good working relations exhibited during the survey period. We take this opportunity to also thank the Chairman Ngoma Wildlife Association, Mr. Tumusiime James who was available for the entire survey exercise and for his mobilization of the local communities. We are also grateful for the Offier in Charge Ngoma Police Post who made sure that our fire arms were kept well and in good working condition. Finally gratitude goes to the UWA field staff for their dedicated support during the entire field data collection exercise. The public relations they exhibited during the fieldwork helped enlighten the communities on their role in wildlife management. iv Summary The survey targeted medium to large mammal in Nakaseke district. It started by notification of the security and political leaders at the district and sub county level. Mobilization of resources and personnel, was then done to enable a smooth flow of the exercise. The staff who carried out the survey were drawn from different protected areas all over Uganda and the survey crew camped in Ngoma town since it was deemed to be centrally place in the survey zone with easy access to all the transects. The survey team was trained on the use of field equipment and the general ground survey procedures. The survey team was divided into 15 groups comprising of UWA staff and local communities from sub counties of Nakaseke. A total of 166 transects were traversed during the data collection period. During the exercise, five wardens were attached to administer the data collection thereby ensuring that good quality data was being collected. This helped to train the participants in collecting quality data hence building a reliable ground survey team for UWA. During the survey, farm owners and local communities interacted with were sensitized about the survey exercise and importance of wildlife management on their farms. Worth noting was that in most areas, communities were ignorant of the wildlife law and lacked information on sport hunting. The wild animal population in the district have drastically reduced probably due to commercial poaching in the area and other land use change activities. Oribi’s which used to be in large numbers are almost completely decimated in the area. Species with some significant numbers were bushbucks, duikers and reedbucks. Poaching for wild meat in the area was evident through arrests made during the exercise. Poaching by charcoal burners and locals was majorly noticed in the sub counties of Kinyogoga and Kaweweta There was notable land use change in the district were subsistence farmland more than doubled from what it used to be in year 2005. Woodland vegetation has also substantially reduced from its original status of 2005. It’s therefore noticeable that charcoal burning and land conversion for agriculture have caused habitat alteration of the area. The charcoal burning