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Following an article yesterday over the massive loss of forest cover in Uganda, over past years and more importantly projected to continue in the future, it is worrying to learn that rogue politicians are again inciting people around Mount Elgon to maintain and increase their encroachment while making demands for the park boundaries to be changed to give free land to their constituents. This mountain is the most know with the interesting calderas on the top which can be experienced while on the unforgettable mountain trekking or hiking!

The trend is in fact alarming considering the potential for landslides inside the park, caused by reckless cutting of trees, seismic events and human habitat spreading at the bottom of steep slopes now used for cultivating crops without terracing. Hundreds of people died in a major landslide not long ago and in spite of the increasing risked, those removed to safety by Uganda Wildlife Authority and other government bodies often sneak back to their illegal little farms, ignoring the widening chasm higher up on the mountain which now spans over 40 kilometres in length.

Changing boundaries of protected areas requires an act of parliament here in Uganda but wannabe leaders have often been prodding wananchi on to enter forests and parks, with cattle and for cultivation, bringing instant conflict between law enforcement and those misled. Mt. Elgon in fact is notorious for park rangers as several of them were killed when ambushed by squatters, with at least one tourist on a mountain hike met a similar fate some years ago.

Notorious, amongst many, is one Titus Wakooba, a self styled chairperson who recently strongly reject(s) the 2003 park boundaries to regain land unfairly grabbed by Uganda Wildlife Authority. It should be noted that Uganda wildlife Authority of the body responsible for all Uganda National parks, conservation and protection of Uganda wildlife for future generations and sustainable Uganda tourism grwoth.

Wild mouthing offs at the time have since given way to embarrassed silence, but nevertheless are thought by many to be one of the reasons why encroachment and land grabbing at Mt. Elgon continues unabated, as Uganda Wildlife Authority  was structurally weakened and has not had either a board appointed nor a substantive Executive Director named ever since.

Conservationists point to the crucial role of Mount Elgon as a national water tower, besides being a transboundary protected area shared with Kenya, which makes any changes in Uganda a matter of concern for Kenya Wildlife Service too.

None of the regular sources within the corridors of the ministry nor at Uganda Wildlife Authority were ready to comment, one citing the sensitivity of the matter which made it prudent to remain silent, but it is understood that both Uganda Wildlife Authority and the ministry of tourism are watching these development with increasing concern and that other security organs in the country have been alerted to this turning into another potential hotspot of illegal demonstrations and activities once again.

One thing is clear though, if Uganda Wildlife Authority and government fail to stand firm on this issue, it would open the floodgates for similar invasions and demands elsewhere in the country, critically endangering conservation efforts and potentially spoiling, through negative publicity, the impact of Visit Uganda 2012 when the country has been named as top destination by Lonely Planet.

But the long term survival of the species is not (if you’ll pardon the pun) out of the woods yet. According to Alastair McNeil age of the Wildlife Conservation Society, the population of 400 gorillas in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is still critically small. Most scientists would say that a minimum population of 500 breeding individuals is needed to be sure of their long term viability.” Even though recent census results do paint a positive picture, the long term future is still very uncertain.

McNeil age believes the impact of climate change could have devastating effects, as farmers seek land at increasingly higher altitudes. Current estimates indicate that by the end of the century, growing conditions for a particular crop will have risen around 700 meters in altitude, so there is likely to be plenty of demand for land higher up the mountainous slopes of Bwindi or the Virunga. He is a firm supporter of gorilla tourism, highlighting the importance of nurturing sustainable, high-end tourism in order to justify maintaining these areas as forest habitats for the mountain gorillas.

The survival of the mountain gorilla, as both a critically endangered species with which we share a very special kinship, and as a significant pillar of the local and national economies, is increasingly important. It is naïve to think the challenges that these gentle giants face will disappear—indeed they have arguably multiplied in scale and number since gorilla conservation began—but responsible gorilla tourism, that benefits both the wildlife and the communities that surround it, could be the very salvation of this incredible species.

It seems there is a surprising correlation between habituated gorillas (gorillas that have learned to accept the presence of humans) and faster rates of population growth. Gorilla Doctors have ascertained that the annual rate of growth for the habituated gorillas in the Virunga is more than five times that of the un-habituated gorillas in the same area. They attribute this pattern to the fact habituated gorillas can more easily benefit from ‘extreme conservation’ practices such as medical intervention. Simply put, completely wild gorillas are harder to treat when they develop illnesses, injure each other, or get trapped in snares. So while habituated gorillas may be more vulnerable to human illnesses, the net result of their habituation is having a greater chance of healthy population growth.

Anne-Marie Weeden first fell in love with Africa when she drove a small pink 2wd van all the way across the Sahara for charity. After years of taking every opportunity she could to travel the continent, she left the ‘day job’ in London to move to Uganda with her partner, where she has tracked gorillas, darted rhinos, hand-fed giraffe and learned how to speak chimp. She now works for Journeys Discovering Africa, helping to provide tailor-made wildlife safaris to East Africa.