Reconnecting Bugoma-Budongo forests in Kikuube, Uganda

This is a community – designed / owned / led corridor restoration programme, seeking to secure and restore the connectivity of the wildlife corridor between the Bugoma-Budongo Forest Reserves in Western Uganda to ensure conservation of the rich biodiversity, climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods in the Northern Albertine Rift. The tropical forests of the Albertine Rift harbour an astounding biodiversity; 52% of Africa’s bird species; 39% of its mammal species; 19% of its amphibians; 14% of its reptiles; and 14% of its plants (Plumptre et al., 2007). The once densely forested project area has been subjected to widespread and rapid degradation, resulting in fragmentation, reducing the corridor connectivity. The fragmentation crisis for biodiversity is severe, especially for the flagship endangered species, the eastern chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii). Uganda’s remaining 5,000 chimpanzees are confined to the forests of the Northern Albertine Rift (Plumptre, Cox, & Mugume, 2003). Astonishingly, a few groups of chimpanzees continue to move through farmlands between forest patches, with some having their entire home ranges in community land (McCarthy et al., 2015; McLennan & Plumptre, 2012; McLennan, 2008).