Protecting Biodiversity by Supporting People

Group of people dancing on forest trail. — Part of the trail experience designed for tourism.

© Conservation International/photo by Dan Rothberg

Promoting Batwa Community Development and Park Co-Management in Bwindi National Park, Uganda

Grantee Name: Mbarara University of Science and Technology

Hotspot: Eastern Afromontane
Location: Uganda
Amount: $110,708
Dates: Jun 2018 – Oct 2019
Keywords: Access and Benefit Sharing, Buffer zones, Capacity building, Community-based conservation, Education, Hunting, Indigenous People, Protected Areas, Employment, Poverty

Work with Batwa communities along the southern border of Bwindi National Park, famous as a home to mountain gorillas. Build Batwa capacity to enable them to participate in park management committees, helping them negotiate for resource use rights, and improving the Batwa Forest Experience, an eco-tourism experience just inside the park's boundary.

Strategic Direction : 2 Improve the protection and management of the KBA network throughout the hotspot.