Who poaches & why at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park,

Uganda

Julia Baker

01.04.15

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How do we conserve protected areas in a way that does no harm

or even good for local people?

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We have international conventions that provide direction…

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Aichi Biodiversity Targets

Biodiversity integrated into poverty reduction strategies

Biodiversity conservation through equitable management

CBD implemented with local community participation

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And a variety of tools…

especially Integrated Conservation & Development

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For people to meet their daily needs, & make a living, in ways

that support protected area conservation

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But we keep talking about the same problems…

A long standing narrative

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Poverty drives biodiversity loss

Dependency of the rural poor on natural resources

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What’s missing?

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Bwindi’s ICD Introduced to resolve conflict - Authorised resource harvesting - Revenue sharing Now varied & many: - General poverty alleviation - Target specific poverty – conservation linkages - Batwa

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Bwindi’s ICD Improved Park-Community relations Enabled local participation in Park management But little impact on illegal activities Tended to benefit less-poor

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Who undertakes illegal activities & why,

despite over 25 years of ICD at Bwindi

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Hypothesis

Poorest households undertake unauthorised resource use

And they do so to meet subsistence needs

Those undertaking unauthorised resource use perceive that they have benefitted less from ICD

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Research Challenges

• Ethical considerations

• Solution: UCT, an indirect questioning technique

Estimate prevalence of resource use & profile characteristics of those involved Needs a large sample

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UCT interviewee presented with two cards, face down

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How many of these places have you, or your family, obtained meat from during the last year?

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But still uncertainty…

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Strict ethical protocols

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Household Survey

Measuring poverty • Basic Necessity Survey • Observed ‘wealth’ indicators

UCT Status

Medicinal plants & honey Authorised

Firewood, bushmeat & building poles Unauthorised

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Household surveys

Authorised Resource Users (n=72)

People arrested for bushmeat hunting

Jan11 – Aug12 (n=41)

People arrested for illegal activities during

fieldwork Aug12 – July13 (n=12)

Stratified random sample of households

(n=192)

Randomly selected Batwa (n=48)

Focus groups to triangulate findings

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Results

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Bushmeat was the most desired, & consumed, resource after 25 years of ICD

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Authorised Resource Users

Compared with other villagers… • Higher wealth scores

• Live closer to trading centres

• Larger households

• Described more benefits from ICD projects

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All Unauthorised Resource Users

Compared with other villagers… • Live further from trading centres

• Live closer to the Park boundary

• Larger households

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Building a picture

Profile Authorised Unauthorised

Poverty Less poor NS

Distance to trading centres

Closer Further

Distance to Park NS Closer

Household size Larger Larger

ICD projects Described more benefits

NS

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Not all Unauthorised Resource Users

had the same profile…

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People arrested for bushmeat hunting

Compared with other villagers… • Live closer to the Park boundary

• Larger households

• Had higher wealth scores

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UCT bushmeat profile (all; not just those arrested)

Compared with other villagers… • Live closer to the Park boundary

• Unlikely to be ARUs

• Come from single households

• Have less education

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UCT firewood profile

Compared with other villagers… • Live far from a trading centre

• Have more education

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Profile Authorised Unauthorised Arrested hunter

UCT hunter UCT firewood

Poverty Less poor NS Less poor NS NS

Distance to trading centres

Closer Further NS NS Further

Distance to Park

NS Closer Closer Closer NS

Household size

Larger Larger Larger Single NS

Education NS NS NS Less More

ICD projects Described more benefits

NS NS Not ARUs NS

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Why do people take forest resources?

Poverty • Primarily for subsistence needs

• People do not have money to purchase

• Bushmeat sought for medicinal needs, especially

severe malnutrition in children

• Surplus is sold locally

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But poverty is only half of the story

• Some hunters are not the poorest in their

community

• They hunt because they believe protected area conservation is unfair

Feelings of unfairness over Bwindi’s conservation

unfair share of Revenue Sharing

jobs given to outsiders

lack of support over crop raiding

“People are angered by the revenue sharing of giving goats. Those who are benefitting by receiving goats are those who

are not living near the Park. People near the Park [like us] are denied goats, so we are angry and go to the Park and poach”

Farmer of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, 2013

Local people believe protected area conservation is unfair, & these beliefs are as important as poverty in driving illegal activities

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Hypothesis Results

Poorest households undertake unauthorised resource use and they do so to meet subsistence needs

YES poverty drives resource use NO people not the poorest in their community take protected resources, driven by feelings of unfairness

Those undertaking unauthorised resource use perceive that they have benefitted less from ICD

YES people seek compensation because they feel distribution of costs & benefits of conservation are unfair

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What’s missing - Equity

Equity is a necessary for conservation to be effective & sustainable

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Close collaboration & engagement throughout

the research

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Lessons Learnt: collaborative research

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Lessons Learnt: mixed methods

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Lessons Learnt: measuring poverty

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Acknowledgments

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