Posted on June, 15 2015

[The original article was published on European Year for Development 2015 official platform]
 

Rwenzori Mountains National Park (RMNP) was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 and a Ramsar Site in 2009. The Park is home to threatened mammals such as the Rwenzori leopard, Rwenzori red duiker, the African elephant and chimpanzees. The Mountains' glaciers, waterfalls and lakes make it one of the most beautiful alpine areas in Africa.  The Rwenzori Mountains also known as “Mountains of The Moon,” is a unique hiking tourist destination and global biodiversity hotspot with a variety of landscapes and species that provide essential ecosystem services such as carbon storage, forests and water catchments.

The Park is a key resource in safeguarding water for approximately 2 million people and the surrounding industrial users.  The Rwenzori region has an annual population growth rate of 5% and is currently with 805,000 people.  With this population growth there is a risk of heavy dependence on the park leading to increase in erosion and eventual watershed degradation and sedimentation of the rivers.

WWF Uganda Country Office, with funds from European Union (EU) and French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM), in partnership with the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) and the Directorate of Water Resources Management (DWRM), have committed to securing the integrity of the Rwenzori Mountains, the biodiversity as well as support livelihood improvement among communities living in the region. This is currently being done through the Sustainable Financing of the Rwenzori Mountains National Park (SFRMNP) project.

The project seeks to improve the way poor and vulnerable communities utilize natural resources sustainably over a long period of timeThe project proposes several approaches including establishing long term sources of funding for RMNP and the local communities through a pilot Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) Scheme, rewarding landowners for improving their land management practices and catchment management. A total of 911 land owners from 14 Water User Groups (WUGs) have so far been trained in the implementation of catchment management interventions, tree planting, siltation and sediment management, soils and water conservation, marking and vegetating of the riparian land and woodlot establishment.

In order to increase the amount of revenue from tourism, the project has also embarked on raising profiles of the unique terrain, mammals, vegetation, bird species so as to improve on their appeal and attractiveness. Several community based tourism initiatives want to ensure that the local communities are the immediate beneficiaries but also play an active role in the conservation aspect.

Richard Mwesigwa, the Project Manager, who has led the project since its inception is pleased with the level of engagement of the community. : “We anticipate a successful implementation process and believe that the impact of the project on these communities and the environment will be highly rewarding.  We look forward to continued cooperation from our implementing partners, District Local Governments of Kasese, Kabarole, Ntoroko and Bundibugyo, private companies, other resource users and local communities.” 

For more information: WWF Uganda

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