7 December 2020 - CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL TREE PLANTING
When the reclassification of Bwindi impenetrable national park happened in 1992, it had an impact on the Batwa pygmy people. At the time they were evicted from the forest and no longer permitted to enter the park to access its resources. The Bwindi impenetrable park is most notable for the 400 Bwindi gorillas, half of the world's population of the endangered mountain gorillas and as such is classified as a wild heritage site.
Natural resource extraction like food such as wild yams and honey, Poaching and diseases associated with illegal entry in the park by Batwa are the greatest threat to the gorilla.
People Of Batwa
The areas bordering the park have a high population density of more than 400 people per kilometre and more including the Batwa pygmy population. The Batwa population has over 76 homesteads with a village 6 -8 people in a hut-like structure home, in Mukono parish are the poorest of the poor people in Buhoma-Bwindi impenetrable National Park.
The decline of tourism and tourism-related activities due to coronavirus pandemic has negatively impacted the living of the Batwa community. Batwa are now the threats to the protected area and its inhabitant. The Batwa, a group that had relied on tourism through dance and drama performances, were significantly affected due to Coronavirus.
“If successful, this project will see 79 families plant 3800 new trees to help both climate change mitigation and give hope to the local Batwa pygmy community.”
Joint Efforts for Green Mountain Initiative plan to continue collaborating with the Batwa pygmies’ community during 2020 Christmas festival celebrations while facilitating their welfare.
79 homesteads with five people are estimated to plant five trees each totalling to 3800 trees. The project will not only give hope but will be seen as a climate change mitigation.
This effort is to address two issues; the first is to provide for a Batwa traditional Christmas feast in order to avoid natural resource extraction for foods in the Forest such as wild yams and honey, and to prevent poaching of gorillas and other wild animals and prevent the spread of diseases associated with illegal entry into the park by the Batwa people.
The second issue is to provide indigenous and fruit tree seedlings to be planted by the Batwa to help provide another source of food, regenerate the area, and mitigate climate change.
The areas bordering the park have a high population density of more than 400 people per kilometre including the Batwa Pygmy population. The Batwa population has 79 homesteads with 6-8 people in each hut-like home. In Mukono parish are the poorest of the poor people in Buhoma-Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.
The fear is if we are unable to support this Batwa community during the Christmas period, it will derail our previous conservation efforts and will put the lives of the mountain gorilla's and other wild animals at risk.
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