Communities plant trees around Bwindi to reduce pressure on mountain gorilla habitat

Local residents, community organizations and the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) are running tree-planting campaigns in villages and schools bordering the park. The idea is straightforward: make the tree species people need available outside the park so they no longer have to harvest them inside Bwindi. Seedlings distributed include medicinal trees that residents might otherwise search for in the protected forest.

Change a Life Bwindi, a community group operating in the area, coordinates planting and degraded-land restoration while seeking to improve local biodiversity. Christina Katushabe, the group's founder, explained the motivation: "Being a neighbor to the park, I understand that the number of gorillas is increasing, but the forest habitat is not increasing."

Members of the Batwa, an Indigenous community, help select tree species for the program. They advise which trees are useful for medicine, timber and firewood, guiding species choices so planted trees serve tangible household needs.

Role of the Uganda Wildlife Authority

Authority supports the effort by distributing seedlings and advising residents on harvesting practices. Joseph Muhindo, an assistant tourism and hospitality officer with UWA, said residents can harvest what they need "without tampering with the habitat for the gorillas." The authority's involvement links conservation goals with practical resource access for communities.

Schools are part of outreach: students plant trees intended for family use, and young people voiced ownership of forest protection. Davis Musinguzi, a student at Ruhijja Seed Secondary School, said, "Now we are going to protect the forest, so that our gorillas can stay well."

The campaign coincided with World Gorilla Day on Sept. 24. Organizers combined tree planting with other community conservation activities such as cleanups, dialogue sessions, medical outreach and sports to broaden participation and visibility.

The initiative aligns species choice with local needs, channels seedlings to residents, and engages Indigenous knowledge through Batwa participation. It aims to reduce direct extraction inside Bwindi by creating accessible alternatives nearby. Those alternatives are intended to lower the incentives to cut or collect resources within the park while allowing communities to retain essential materials and livelihoods tied to gorilla tourism.

The story documents active planting and community engagement but does not report long-term monitoring outcomes, survival rates of planted trees, or quantified reductions in park resource use. Tracking those measures would clarify how effectively the approach reduces pressure on Bwindi over time.