Status of illegal resource extraction within Rwenzori Mountains National Park, Uganda: Baseline studies near four hydropower projects

Illegal resource extraction within Rwenzori Mountains National Park, Uganda, is more pervasive and diverse than previously documented. A study near four hydropower projects identified 17 types of illegal activities, with medicinal plant collection and poaching being the most widespread. Poaching showed significant spatial variation across sites (p = 0.03) and increased with distance from park boundaries at two locations (p = 0.05). Community surveys revealed that 68% and 44% of respondents engaged in medicinal plant collection and poaching, respectively, while nearly all (98%) recognized the park as a vital source of natural resources. The findings, derived from in-park plot assessments, nonplot-based methods, community surveys, and ranger patrol records, highlight the need for extended patrols deeper within the park to mitigate illegal activities effectively. This baseline study provides critical data for monitoring temporal and spatial changes during the hydropower projects' duration.

Bulafu, C. E., Tumusiime, D. M., Erik Hårklau, S., & Owuor, G. (2020). Status of illegal resource extraction within Rwenzori Mountains National Park, Uganda: Baseline studies near four hydropower projects. African Journal of Ecology, 59(2), 449–465. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.12823