RUBANDA — The government has pledged to deepen the economic benefits of gorilla tourism for communities surrounding Uganda’s protected areas, while stepping up efforts to address human-wildlife conflict and strengthen the partnership between residents and conservation authorities.
The Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Col (Rtd) Tom Butime, said communities must see tangible benefits from conservation through employment, business opportunities and community programmes.
He made the remarks in a speech delivered by Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) Commissioner for Biodiversity Management, Mr John Makombo, during World Gorilla Day celebrations held on Thursday at Ruhija in Rubanda District.
Col Butime said Uganda’s progress in gorilla conservation has not eliminated challenges faced by communities living alongside Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga Gorilla national parks, particularly human-wildlife conflict, household incomes and concerns over equitable sharing of tourism benefits.
“We shall strive to make our gorilla parks better places for continued benefit sharing through tourism employment, enterprise, opportunity and community programmes,” he said.
He added that government would support initiatives that complement the existing revenue-sharing programme.
The minister also directed attention to the safety of both gorillas and tourists, calling for strict enforcement of tracking rules on hygiene, health and the prescribed distance between visitors and the animals.
He warned against illegal gorilla tracking, saying some online operators were allegedly defrauding tourists while others were taking visitors to tracking points without permits.
“We need to jointly fight illegal tracking which steals our wealth as stakeholders,” he said.
He urged communities, lodge owners and other stakeholders to report suspected illegal activities to UWA offices, rangers and local leaders, as well as report gorilla emergencies and suspected disease.
Mr Makombo, speaking in his own capacity after delivering the minister’s speech, said the economic value of gorilla tourism should not be assessed solely through the statutory revenue-sharing arrangement.
“The revenue sharing that is actually in the law, it is just a very small figure. It is a general figure for all the protected areas. Twenty per cent,” he said.
He said lodges around Bwindi generate about Shs13 billion annually, while more than Shs5 billion reaches villages around the park through direct employment.
Residents recruited from communities around Bwindi, he added, take about Shs2 billion to their villages each year through their earnings.
Mr Makombo also cited the community campsite at Buhoma, which he said makes more than Shs500 million in net profit annually outside the statutory revenue-sharing arrangement.
He said concerns raised by local leaders over the communities’ share of tourism benefits had been noted, adding that UWA was reviewing the law.
“When leaders talk about revenue sharing, we pick those comments. We are now reviewing the law and seeing what percentage we can give to the communities without paralysing the institution,” he said.
Uganda’s mountain gorilla population has increased significantly since 1991, when Uganda National Parks took over management of Bwindi and Mgahinga from the Forest Department and the Game Department.
The population grew from slightly more than 300 gorillas in 1991 to about 500 in Bwindi in 2019, while the regional population is now above 1,000.
A census conducted in Bwindi in 2025 is yet to have its results released. However, field signs recorded during the exercise and births documented over the past six years point to a possible further increase.
Col Butime said the conservation progress had also been accompanied by a change in attitudes among communities.
Before 1991, he said, parts of Bwindi and Mgahinga were used for crop growing and gold mining, while gorillas were regarded as beasts and some park management staff were viewed as enemies.
“The communities that used to fight the protectors are now actually the protectors of the mountain gorilla,” he said.
Mr Makombo said the transformation of Ruhija illustrates the wider economic impact of tourism.
Recalling his time working in Bwindi between 2000 and 2004, he said basic businesses and services were scarce and he often had to carry food from Kabale.
“I didn’t know that Ruhija had expanded to now a big town. Big! I’m surprised. I’m shocked that Ruhija has expanded,” he said.
Mr Makombo urged young people and local entrepreneurs to position themselves to benefit from tourism through tour guiding, hospitality, cultural experiences, sustainable agriculture, transport and the supply of goods and services.
He said UWA’s recruitment policy gives priority to people from districts surrounding protected areas, noting that many employees working around Bwindi and Mgahinga come from Kanungu, Rubanda and Kisoro.
He also encouraged communities to plant more trees on their land and protect existing forests, warning that continued loss of tree cover could increase pressure on protected areas as residents seek fuelwood.
“If you have no trees on your land, you will have no alternative but enter the parks and get fuel wood from the park. That is going to have a conflict between us and you people,” he said.
Mr Makombo said a contract was in place for the road from Kanyantorogo through Togota and Ruhija towards Rubanda. He added that UWA planned to work with district authorities on access roads serving protected areas and neighbouring communities.
He called on local governments to work with UWA on initiatives that can improve household incomes while strengthening conservation.
The World Gorilla Day celebrations brought together UWA staff, district officials, retired rangers and wardens, tourism operators, conservation partners, security agencies, media practitioners, schoolchildren and Miss Tourism Uganda.
Mr Makombo recognised UWA staff who continue to monitor and protect gorillas in the forest, alongside security agencies and conservation partners supporting the conservation programme.