Land‐use and cover changes (1988–2002) around budongo forest reserve, NW Uganda: implications for forest and woodland sustainability

Abstract

Land-use and cover changes around Budongo Forest Reserve (BFR) were analysed from multi-temporal LandSat images (1988 and 2002) and associated field-based studies in [2003][2004]. Three major land-use and cover classes: forest/woodland, sugarcane plantations and grassland/shifting-cultivation/settlements were clearly discriminated. The area under sugarcane cultivation increased over 17-fold, from 690 ha in 1988 to 12729 ha in 2002, with a concomitant loss of about 4680 ha (8Á2 per cent) of forest/woodland, mainly on the southern boundary of BFR. Land-use and cover changes were a result of (a) agricultural expansion, (b) increasing human population, exacerbated by large influxes of refugees, (c) conflicts of interest and political interference in the management of BFR and (d) unclear land tenure. Agriculture is the main land-use practice and source of income to local people, with commercial sugarcane and tobacco as the primary cash crops. Individual smallholder sugarcane plantations covered distances ranging from 30 to 1440 m along the BFR edge, with no buffer zone, resulting in direct conflicts between farmers and forest wild animals. There is an ever-increasing need for more land for agricultural expansion, resulting in continued loss of forest/woodland on private/communal lands and encroachment into BFR. This unsustainable agricultural expansion and the local people's perception of BFR as an obstacle to agriculture, threatens the conservation of its threatened wild plants (e.g. Raphia farinifera) and the endangered chimpanzees. Therefore, their sustainable management for both development and conservation will require strong and incorruptible institutions that will seek a balance between resource exploitation and conservation.

Dynamics of forest cover conversion in and around Bwindi impenetrable forest, Southwestern Uganda

“…Mwavu and Witkowski, (2008) also found that Budongo forest cover in Northern Uganda had decreased significantly as sugarcane plantations had increased between 1988 to 2002. They attributed these changes to agricultural expansion, increasing human population exacerbated by large influxes of refugees, conflicts of interest and political interference in the management of Budongo Forest and the unclear land tenure.…”

“…As humans try to meet their daily needs, they are subjecting forests, woodlands and grasslands to the highest rates of change (Pomeroy & Tushabe, 2004;MEA, 2005) resulting in land use/cover changes (Mwavu and Witkowski, 2008;Egeru and Majaliwa, 2009). While it is possible to identify with some certainty the factors underlying tropical deforestation in a general sense, it is very difficult to pinpoint a uniform set of drivers/causes and their relative contributions that apply generally at a global or even regional level (MEA, 2005).…”

Expansion of Commercial Sugarcane Cultivation among Smallholder Farmers in Uganda: Implications for Household Food Security

“…The three interrelated elements that are essential to achieving food security in each community are food availability (sufficient quantities available for consumption), food access (adequate resources to obtain appropriate foods for a nutritious diet), and food utilization (a diet providing sufficient energy and essential nutrients [11,26]. Results of the present study reveal that the people in this commercial sugarcane growing region are food insecure, as they do not always have both the physical and economic access to sufficient food to meet their dietary needs for a productive and healthy life [13,26,27].…”

Land use/cover change analysis and local community perception towards land cover change in the lowland of Bale rangelands, Southeast Ethiopia

“…The magnitude of the changes can be quite different depending on the anthropogenic influences in specific areas (Roques et al, 2001;Mwavu and Witkowski, 2008).…”