A group of people with birds in Kween District.
Wild and migratory birds are at risk from poachers as they fly overhead to their destinations. In Kween District, several youth, driven by hunger caused by the effects of climate change, have been hunting and eating the yellow-billed storks.
However, there is hope that an initiative to plant trees in five districts of the Elgon region will curb the vice, protect the birds, and mitigate the effects of climate change, as David Wandeka writes.
In the heat of the day, several young men offload tree seedlings from a pickup truck parked under the few trees in the field. They exchange banter as they carry the seedlings to holes prepared in rows in the field. This particular field, neighbouring Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve – the second largest conservation area in the country. The community in Ayorei Village, Korite Parish, Girik Sub- County in Kween District is upbeat about planting the seedlings. In the middle of the planting, they stop to sing songs and dance.
The future seems bright. In March, this newspaper ran a story about youth in the village who were engaged in poaching migratory birds flying back to the northern hemisphere after their winter sojourn in the southern hemisphere. The story was published after Uganda had signed a memorandum of understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Pray in Africa (Raptors MOU). The agreement, which 65 countries have signed, enhances conservation efforts for migratory raptors, many of which are facing increasing threats
The residents used rats drenched in paraquat dichloride, a highly toxic pesticide, and potent gin to trap yellow-billed storks. The vice, which began two years ago, has seen the poaching of over 3,000 birds. On average, the yellow-billed stork, weighing between three to eight kilogrammes, is sold to residents and travellers at Shs8,000 to Shs15,000 per bird. Long drought led to poaching Joel Cherop, a farmer and conservationist, says the environment in the area has been so heavily degraded over the years due to poverty.
“Since 2021, we have not had a successful crop season in this community. The drought has hit us hard for consecutive years. It is a race for survival and people have mastered how to survive using bad means,” he says. Cherop adds that a hungry stomach makes people innovative and the residents often sneak into Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve to cut down trees to clandestinely burn the wood to charcoal, which they sell off.
“The effects of climate change have been worsened by highly industrialised nations spewing billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Africa is on the receiving end of climate change, being hit by droughts and floods, year in and year out,” he explains.
Uganda’s diverse ecosystems create an ideal habitat, attracting migratory birds to breed, nest, and raise their young. The birds also act as pollinators and seed dispersers and contribute to the health of the ecosystem and agriculture.
Uganda is also a bird sanctuary with 12 designated Ramsar sites, which include Lake Mburo-Nakibali Wetland System, Murchison Falls National Park, Lake Opeta, Lutembe Bay, Lake Bisina, Lake Nakuwa Wetland System, Mabamba Bay, Nabajjuzi Wetland System, Lake Nabugabo Wetland, Sango Bay-Musambwa Island-Kagera Wetland System (SAMUKA), Lake Albert Delta Wetland System, and the Kyoga Basin Satellite Lakes.
With over 242 bird species, Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve is one of the birdwatcher paradises in Uganda. Recently, the government has expressed interest in upgrading the wildlife reserve to a national park.
Tree planting to the rescue
To mitigate the problem and end the poaching of migratory birds, the Restore Africa Programme has embarked on an ambitious tree-planting exercise. The Restore Africa Programme is the world’s largest community-led nature-based carbon removal program. Currently, the organisation is working in six countries.
Men plant trees in Kween District. PHOTO/FILE
Micheal Ocola, the programme manager, reveals that the organisation’s target is to plant six million trees in the five districts of the Elgon region, including Kween, Namisindwa, Kapchorwa, Bududa, and Manafwa. “We are planting indigenous, exotic, and fruit trees to restore the degraded landscape and improve the people’s livelihoods. Our target for Kween district alone is 6,000 trees,” he says.
Ocola adds that the organisation is mobilising farmers in five sub-counties that have been hit hard by degradation. “We have been told that Girik was once a forested area. However, human activity has made the land so bare that you can see five kilometres away.
We believe that planting trees will improve the soil productivity and in turn, increase crop yields,” he says. The hope is that in three years, there will be some change because the streams have dried up and the rain pattern in the area is unpredictable. “The situation is likely to worsen if we do not do anything about it. The impact of climate change is already being felt in terms of rising temperatures. Previously, the locals used to enjoy cool temperatures, but today, you can hardly see people wearing heavy sweaters,” Ochola explains.
Levy Arap Teny, the chairperson of the Ayorei Youth Livelihood Group, young men who survived on hunting the yellow-billed storks, welcomes the project. “For the fruit trees, we are planting mangoes and guavas which will help to improve our nutrition and livelihoods. The trees will also help us in conservation because they will provide a good habitat for the birds,” he says. Restore Africa has trained the youths on how to plant trees and care for them. “Previously, we engaged in poaching the migratory birds because we did not have food. But now, we hope for the better. We have even dropped charcoal burning,” he says.
Cherop says that the warm climatic conditions the district is experiencing make it easier for indigenous trees to thrive. “A tree does not grow in five or six months. Any change will probably be felt in the next five years. We anticipate that malnutrition will be a thing of the past because children will supplement the ugali meal with fruits,” he says. Until the trees grow, Arap Tany calls on the government to come to the aid of the starving communities to deter them from returning to poaching to feed their hungry children.
“We hope to sensitise other youths to join us. However, the government should provide us with relief food because we cannot eat trees. The government should engage with us,” he says. Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) is responsible for the management of ten national parks, 12 wildlife reserves, and seven wildlife sanctuaries and provides guidance over the management of five Community Wildlife Areas.
In a previous interview with this publication, Bashir Hangi, UWA’s head of Communications and Public relations, said the organisation had only recently received information about the poisoning of migratory birds.
“Regardless of where a wildlife species is, it must be protected. We want to investigate the truth in those claims, what kind of birds are being killed, and who is killing them,” he said at the time. He indicated that, unlike other wild animals, the challenge was that the storks were not in an enclosed area.
Instead, they were roaming freely in the fields of the community, making it difficult to protect them. “Protecting those birds requires a combination of strategies such as intelligence operations, enforcement, and massive awareness campaigns to help the community appreciate the importance of the birds for pollination and seed dispersal,” he said.
Cherop calls on UWA to take an interest in the people who live near Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve, instead of concentrating only on the animals in the park.
“In other parts of the country, UWA has helped people living near national parks to set up livelihoods to deter them from poaching. Such activities include beekeeping, tour guiding, and providing irrigation equipment.
However, in this region, UWA only arrests poachers without solving the pull factors,” he explains. Human wildlife is also rampant in the area, with residents claiming buffaloes destroy whatever little they manage to plant.
“When buffaloes kill people, UWA makes a contribution of one bag of posho, one bag of beans, and Shs2 million, to the burial expenses. Is that worth a life? In 2018, buffaloes destroyed over 50 acres of rice I had planted. I have never been compensated,” Cherop says.
Others have lost gardens of beans and tomatoes but are still waiting for compensation. “We hope that UWA will fence the boundary of the wildlife reserve to keep the animals away from our gardens,” Arap Teny cautions. Short-term measures As the community waits for the seedlings to grow into trees, Cherop says he has secured technologies under the Uganda Climate Smart Agriculture Transformation Project.
The Project, under the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries (MAAIF), aims to support the government in identifying, develop, and incentivise the adoption of climate-smart agriculture technologies and management practices that contribute to climate adaptation of agricultural value chains to sustainably increase productivity and household incomes while enhancing resilience to climate shocks.
“I have secured oilseeds, which are drought tolerant, for the Ayorei Youth Livelihood Group, such as sunflower and soya beans. We have also secured cabbage seeds. However, we need the government to facilitate us with solar irrigation equipment,” he says.
The young men have also been urged to enroll in government poverty alleviation programs such as Emyooga and the Parish Development Model (PDM). The Mt Elgon region is famous for birding, especially around the Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve. The tree planting activity will ensure that migratory birds have a smooth flight to and from the different hemispheres while having a safe place to perch, feed, and breed.
