Publications
Lack of Rule-Adherence During Mountain Gorilla Tourism Encounters in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, Places Gorillas at Risk From Human Disease
Over 98% of mountain gorilla tourism encounters in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (BINP), Uganda, violated the critical 7-meter human-gorilla distance rule, despite rigorous pre-trek briefings by park rangers. This finding, derived from observational data collected during 53 treks between May and August 2014, reveals a significant risk of disease transmission to endangered mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), with 68.2% of observations occurring at distances ≤7 meters and 14% at ≤3 meters. The study highlights systemic non-adherence to Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) guidelines, which limit group size and duration while enforcing strict spacing rules. Survey data from 243 tourists suggest potential for improvement, with 73.6% expressing willingness to adopt precautionary measures like face masks to protect gorilla health. These results underscore the urgent need for stronger enforcement and education to mitigate disease risks in this critical conservation context.
Gorilla Tourism in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda: An Actor-Network Perspective
Gorilla tourism in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, has evolved through multiple 'translations' of the gorilla's role, shaping its significance across hunting, scientific, conservation, and tourism networks. Using actor-network theory (ANT), this study reveals how gorillas transitioned from trophies to symbols of scientific curiosity, endangered species, and finally, key attractions in tourism. The research highlights the dynamic interplay between human actors and gorillas, demonstrating that gorilla tourism's permanence stems from these shifting relationships. By applying ANT's concepts of ordering, materiality, and multiplicity, the study offers new perspectives on agency in tourism, conservation, and development, emphasizing how gorillas are actively shaped by their social contexts.
Tourism revenue sharing policy at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda: a policy arrangements approach
A study on tourism revenue sharing (TRS) at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, reveals that the policy's governance capacity is low due to structural incongruence among its dimensions—actors, resources, rules of the game, and discourses. Despite participatory reforms, the Uganda Wildlife Authority retains control over resources and sets the rules, leaving local communities undercompensated for conservation costs. Weak communication, unfair distribution, corruption claims, and powerful local elites further exacerbate these issues. The research, based on qualitative data from BINP and surrounding parishes, suggests that addressing inequities in TRS design could enhance its potential to support conservation through development.
Ecotourism: The Modern Predator? Implications of Gorilla Tourism on Local Livelihoods in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda
Ecotourism, often hailed as a tool for conservation and local development, may instead perpetuate poverty and dependency in nearby communities. A study analyzing gorilla tourism's impact on rural villagers adjacent to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, reveals that the commodification of wilderness for foreign visitors shifts control to international organizations, creating new forms of vulnerability rather than alleviating hardship. Through a year of ethnographic fieldwork, the research exposes how ecotourism's 'new' relations between people and parks often reinforce existing power imbalances.
The Encroaching Forest: Struggles Over Land and Resources on the Boundary of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park's expansion into privately owned land represents a new form of state control, primarily through conservation policies that dispossess local farmers and restrict their access to resources. This encroachment not only limits rural communities' ability to respond to crop raiding but also prevents them from utilizing their own land, highlighting a significant conflict between wildlife protection and human rights in Uganda. The study employs a case analysis approach to explore these dynamics, emphasizing the broader implications of state-led conservation strategies on local livelihoods.
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