Reconnecting People With the Forest
Our experience has shown us how important it is to work alongside local communities to create buffer zones to safeguard and expand East Africa's critical ecosystems, and improve the lives of those who live around them. In Uganda we are ambitiously committing to support a new forest buffer zone adjacent to the national park. To date over 25,000 native trees have already been planted trees in consultation with the local Batwa, incorporating a biocultural approach that merges science with indigenous knowledge. With old depleted tea bushes removed from the slopes, the project aims to restore large tracts of indigenous vegetation, allowing the forest to reclaim the hills.
As the new forest starts to take shape it is also creating a fresh awareness in the value of nature for the local communities. The project, run in conjunction with our implementation partner Change a Life Bwindi, has invited community members to start their own seedling nursery beds in order to supply the indigenous plants needed to reforest the land. This has created a ripple effect of environmental awareness and economic opportunity.
Traditionally, indigenous forest seedlings found on community land or amidst the neat tea plantations were dismissed as weeds, uprooted and discarded. Today, these tiny saplings are viewed with fresh eyes as treasures that hold both the promise of both a revitalised forest and an income opportunity. Now villagers are actively searching for these seedlings and carefully transplanting them to their nursery beds to grow on. From here, the seedlings are nurtured before being sold to the main nursery for the reforestation efforts. By encouraging the recovery and propagation of indigenous species, the initiative has brought about a shift in perspective as to the value of the forest along with a sense of shared project ownership.
In December 2024 alone, over 35,000 seedlings were purchased from the community, providing an income and illustrating how respect for nature and sustainable livelihoods can grow hand in hand. As they develop into strong saplings, these infant plants are set to play a key role in reforesting the slopes around Bwindi, as the forest expands, to rise again from these hills.