Rubanda District LC5 Chairperson Ampeire Stephen Kasyaba has called for a fairer and more meaningful share of tourism revenues to communities living alongside gorilla habitats, arguing that local communities should directly benefit from wildlife conservation.
Kasyaba made the remarks on Thursday, October 1, during celebrations to mark International Gorilla Day held in Ruhija Town Council, Rubanda West.
He said revenue sharing should not be treated as charity to communities but as an investment in conservation, arguing that people are more likely to protect wildlife when they can see tangible benefits from doing so.
“When communities see tangible benefits from protecting gorillas, conservation becomes a shared economic interest,” Kasyaba said.
He said a family should be able to point to a school, health centre, clean-water project, road, livelihood programme or other community investment and say the benefit was made possible because they protect wildlife.
According to Kasyaba, such benefits give conservation a deeper and more lasting meaning among communities living near protected areas.
He called on the Government, conservation authorities, tourism stakeholders and development partners to consider increasing the proportion of tourism revenues returned to communities surrounding gorilla habitats.
Kasyaba also called for greater transparency, accountability and community participation in the management of revenue-sharing funds.
He said local leaders, women, young people and other community representatives should have a meaningful voice in determining how the resources are invested.
He further urged authorities to broaden the definition of community benefits beyond direct cash transfers to include local employment, community-based tourism, support for small businesses, education, healthcare, agriculture, skills development and other sustainable livelihood opportunities.
UWA Warns Against Illegal Gorilla Tracking
Meanwhile, John Makombo, Commissioner for Biodiversity Management at Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), who represented the chief guest, Hon. Tom Butime, Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, warned the public against illegal gorilla tracking and poaching.
Makombo also challenged communities to plant more trees to help prevent encroachment on national park land.
He warned that UWA would take action against people encroaching on protected areas.
Makombo further appealed to districts neighbouring the national park to develop strong and sustainable projects targeting Batwa communities.
He said Government has faced criticism over the continued poverty among the Batwa, but argued that there are opportunities for districts and other stakeholders to implement programmes that can improve their livelihoods.
The International Gorilla Day celebrations brought together local leaders, conservation authorities, communities and other stakeholders to promote gorilla conservation and highlight the role of communities in protecting Uganda’s wildlife.
