Bangor University DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Conservation and ecotourism in Kibale National Park, Uganda. Obua, Joseph Award date: 1996 Link to publication General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal ? Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 10. Oct. 2021 CONSERVATION AND ECOTOURISM IN KIBALE NATIONAL PARK, UGANDA JOSEPH OBUA BSc. (HONS) (MUK), MSc. (WALES) nrrFNYDDIO TN Ir LINT' RGELL TN UNIG TO BE CON ULTED IN TEM LIBRARY ONL Thesis Submitted in Candidature for the Degree of Philosophiae Doctor in the University of Wales School of Agricultural and Forest Sciences University of Wales, Bangor June 1996 ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to assess the potential of ecotourism in Kibale National Park, the environmental impact of visitor activities, the characteristics of visitors and visits, the perception and attitudes of local communities towards conservation and development of ecotourism, and the status of environmental interpretation in Uganda. The environmental evaluation was attempted using a combination of methods developed in the USA. Self- completion questionnaires were used to obtain information on visitors and the characteristics of visits, and direct household interviews were used for the survey of local communities' perception and attitudes. Information on the status of environmental interpretation was sought using the postal-survey method. It was found that Kibale National Park has the potential for development of ecotourism. The number of visitors has been rising annually since ecotourism was introduced in 1992 and was estimated to reach 5 000 in 1995. As a result of the continuing increase in visitor numbers, the camping sites and the nature trails are already being degraded. More than 90 per cent of the visitors come from overseas and only a small proportion are Ugandans. The visitors come on pre-planned tour packages mainly to view the chimpanzees. The common feeling among the visitors is that the facilities and services currently offered in Kibale are of low standard. Several proposals have been put forward for improvement of services and provision of additional facilities. The need to control visitor numbers and to maintain a sound environment in the Park has been discussed and immediate management measures required to reduce further deterioration of the camping sites and the nature trails have been recommended. The study has also revealed that local communities in Kibale still obtain most of their forest products from the Park. Although the majority (about 80%) support conservation and development of ecotourism, they have a poor perception of the Park's existence and value. Eviction of some families from the Park a few years ago and the gradual loss of traditional rights of access and use of resources following the establishment of Kibale as a National Park, has resulted in negative attitudes among some sections of the local communities. It is recommended that local communities should be educated about the value of the Park and the importance of conserving its resources. Moreover, there is a need to involve them directly in all the stages of future planning and management of conservation programmes and ecotourism development in Uganda's protected areas. It has also become clear that the concept of environmental interpretation is little understood in Uganda and the practice is generally poor. It was found that Kibale and other national parks lack facilities for proper interpretation. The Park ranger-guides are often employed and assigned to interpretive work without prior training on interpretation. It is recommended that all national parks and other protected areas where ecotourism is being promoted alongside conservation should set up proper environmental interpretation systems. In addition, there is a need for establishing a national programme of environmental interpretation to facilitate environmental education and development of ecotourism in Uganda. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The production of this thesis would not have been possible without the help, guidance and encouragement by many people. My thanks are due first and foremost to the National Council for Science and Technology for granting me permission to carry out research in Uganda. My special thanks also go to the Chief Park Warden of Kibale National Park for granting permission that enabled me to carry out fieldwork in Kibale. In particular, I wish to thank Mr. Tom Akora, Warden in charge of Law Enforcement, for assisting with the selection of study parishes, and Mr Robert Ssenlcungu, Warden in charge of Tourism and Education, for summarising the data on visitor arrivals. I also wish to thank the Park Rangers who helped with different aspects of the fieldwork, especially Mr. Tom Namanya and Mr. Aston Byaruhanga who ably did the translations during the household interviews and helped to put respondents at ease, and Mr. Benjamin Baguma, for assisting with the visitors survey. My special gratitude also goes to the Vice - Chancellor of Makerere University for granting the study leave, and to Dr. John Kaboggoza, Head of Forestry Department, Makerere University, who helped in many ways with the fieldwork logistics. I am enormously grateful to the UNDP and FAO for providing the scholarship for this study, and the entire staff in the GEF's "Institutional Support for the Protection of East African Biodiversity Project" for administering the funds. iv I wish to express special thanks to the Programme Officers at the British Council DATS EC/UN Section in Manchester and the British Council Programme Officer in Bangor for ensuring that my stay in UK was an enjoyable one. I am also grateful to the Supervisory Committee in the School of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, Bangor and in particular to Dr. Don Harding who supervised the thesis in this relatively new area of research on conservation and ecotourism in the tropics. His constant advice, criticism, encouragement and guidance were invaluable. Lastly, I want to acknowledge my special debt to my wife Jackie who shouldered the responsibility of looking after the family in Uganda while I was away in UK pursuing this PhD. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Declaration ii Abstract iii Acknowledgements iv List of Figures xv List of Tables xvi List of Appendices xx CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 General Background 1 1.2 The Scope and Objectives of the Study 6 1.3 Thesis Structure 6 1.4 Conclusions 7 CHAPTER 2: FOREST RESOURCES IN UGANDA 2.1 Introduction 9 2.2 Country Setting 10 2.3 The Role of Forestry in the National Economy 12 2.4 The Forest Policy 14 2.5 Forest Protection and Regulation of Resource Use 15 2.6 Forest Wildlife Resources 16 2.7 Forest Resource Utilisation 17 2.8 Effect of Forest Resource Exploitation on Wildlife Resources 19 vi 2.9 Conservation of Forest Biodiversity 22 2.10 Protected Areas and Forestry in Uganda 23 2.11 The Rise of Forest Ecotourism in Uganda 26 2.12 Conclusions 27 CHAPTER 3: RECREATION, ECOTOURISM, CONSERVATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL INTERPRETATION - AN OVERVIEW 3.1 Introduction 29 3.2 Recreation 30 3.2.1 Development of Outdoor Recreation in Developed Countries 32 Recreation Trends in the Tropics 3.2.2 Forest Recreation 33 3.2.3 The Demand for Outdoor Recreation 35 Introduction Factors which Influence Recreation Demand The Supply of Recreation Opportunities 3.3 Ecotourism 41 3.3.1 Definitions and Problems 41 3.3.2 Ecotourism, Environment and Development 42 3.4 Conservation 44 3.4.1 Environmental Conservation for Aesthetic and Recreational Purposes 45 3.4.2 Conservation, Resource Use and User Rights 46 Conservation and Indigenous Peoples Resource Use and User Rights 3.4.3 Environmental Impact of Recreation and Ecotourism 48 Impact on Soil and Vegetation Impact on Wildlife vii Impact on Water 3.5 Environmental Interpretation 52 The purpose of Interpretation 3.6 Conclusions 57 CHAPTER 4: METHODS AND PROBLEMS OF ASSESSING RECREATION AND ECOTOURISM POTENTIAL, RECREATIONAL USE, AM) ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT 4.1 Introduction 59 4.2 Methods and Problems of Assessing Recreation and Ecotourism 59 Potential Land Capability Method The Potential Surface Technique Species Richness Approach 4.3 Assessment of Recreational Use of a Forest/Park 63 4.4 Methods of Monitoring Recreational Impact 68 4.4.1 Campsite Monitoring 68 The Physical Measurements Approach The Condition Class System The Multiple Parameter Rating System The Ground Cover Index Photography Remote Sensing 4.4.2 Trail Monitoring 74 The Census Technique 4.4.3 Measurement of Species Diversity and Composition 75 4.5 Conclusions 75 vi" CHAPTER 5: ENVIRONMENTAL EVALUATION OF KTBALE NATIONAL PARK 5.1 Introduction 77 5.2 Background to Kibale National Park 77 5.3 Description of Kibale National Park 79 5.3.1 Geographical Location 79 5.3.2 Area 79 5.3.3 Topography and Drainage 79 5.3.4 Geology and Soils 80 5.3.5 Climate 80 53.6 Vegetation and Ecology 80 The Flora