JGI UGANDA FIELD PROGRAMMES

Bulindi Biodiversity Conservation Project

A community of chimpanzees inhabiting a fragmented farm-forest mosaic at Bulindi, located 25 km south of Budongo, has been the subject of a 2-year research project (by M McLennan, Oxford Brookes University, UK), the first to examine in detail chimpanzee ecology and human-chimpanzee interactions in a degraded, non-protected environment. The research has informed the development of a community-based project. The project specific goal is to conserve biodiversity by reducing threats to fragmented forest ecosystems through increased economic opportunities and conflict resolution for rural communities in Bulindi.

With support from a number of donors i.e. Disney Animal Kingdom, JGI Netherlands and JGI Switzerland) , JGI Uganda has constructed a road side Ecocafe in Bulindi Town Centre and adjacent to the forest fragments. Bulindi is located on the major road that connects Murchison Falls National Park and Kibale National Park. Both of these parks are major tourist areas within Uganda. There are almost no tourist services currently located on this road. By developing a place tourists can stop and refresh themselves, the community will benefit from an enterprise that allows them to generate their own income in order to protect their forest.