ROAD PLANS NEAR KYAMBURA RUN INTO OPPOSITION
While not on the scale of the anti Serengeti highway plans at this stage, protests are nevertheless gathering momentum against a planned road cutting across an ancient game migration route. Leading conservation groups in Uganda, and individual conservationists have demanded from government to spare the wildlife migration corridor between the Kyambura Game Reserve – which neighbours the Queen Elizabeth National Park and is home to a popular chimpanzee tracking site – and the more distant Kitomi Forest Reserve. It was according to a report in Uganda’s leading daily newspaper, The New Vision, claimed that cutting off migration between the two areas would lead to inbreeding and diminishing genetic stocks, which would have a far reaching impact on the future reproductive process of the game found in the two reserves. A staff member of the National Forest Authority, which is ‘in charge’ of the Kitomi Forest Reserve, was quoted as pointing fingers at politicians, who demanded a new road ahead of the recently concluded elections and easier access to voters – of course, wildlife does not vote and therefore regularly does not matter! Said one regular contributor to this correspondent’s topics: ‘nothing is sacrosanct any longer. Across East Africa, maybe with exception of Rwanda, roads, industries, mining, agriculture are eating up the spaces previously set aside for wildlife. Do our politicians understand that tourists are coming for the wildlife and if it is reduced to small pockets it will be like zoos and they lose interest coming over here? Not every road which is possible must be built, let the roads we have be improved for easier and safer travel but not separate two ecosystems, already badly encroached, even more. But our ministry does not havROAD PLANS NEAR KYAMBURA RUN INTO OPPOSITION While not on the scale of the anti Serengeti highway plans at this stage, protests are nevertheless gathering momentum against a planned road cutting across an ancient game migration route. Leading conservation groups in Uganda, and individual conservationists have demanded from government to spare the wildlife migration corridor between the Kyambura Game Reserve – which neighbours the Queen Elizabeth National Park and is home to a popular chimpanzee tracking site – and the more distant Kitomi Forest Reserve. It was according to a report in Uganda’s leading daily newspaper, The New Vision, claimed that cutting off migration between the two areas would lead to inbreeding and diminishing genetic stocks, which would have a far reaching impact on the future reproductive process of the game found in the two reserves. A staff member of the National Forest Authority, which is ‘in charge’ of the Kitomi Forest Reserve, was quoted as pointing fingers at politicians, who demanded a new road ahead of the recently concluded elections and easier access to voters – of course, wildlife does not vote and therefore regularly does not matter! Said one regular contributor to this correspondent’s topics: ‘nothing is sacrosanct any longer. Across East Africa, maybe with exception of Rwanda, roads, industries, mining, agriculture are eating up the spaces previously set aside for wildlife. Do our politicians understand that tourists are coming for the wildlife and if it is reduced to small pockets it will be like zoos and they lose interest coming over here? Not every road which is possible must be built, let the roads we have be improved for easier and safer travel but not separate two ecosystems, already badly encroached, even more. But our ministry does not have focus on such issues, UWA is weakened and NFA also has problems, so it is easy for politicians and business people to get away with almost anything’. Only too true, too often … e focus on such issues, UWA is weakened and NFA also has problems, so it is easy for politicians and business people to get away with almost anything’.
Only too true, too often …
