“Being a neighbor to the park, I understand that the number of gorillas is increasing, but the forest habitat is not increasing,” said Christina Katushabe, founder of Change a Life Bwindi.
Her organization supplies useful trees, restores degraded land while improving biodiversity. Katushabe said members of the Batwa, an Indigenous community that has helped guide the project, select species used for medicine, timber and firewood.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority distributes seedlings, including medicinal trees that people might otherwise seek inside the park.
The tree planting was among community conservation activities organized to mark World Gorilla Day, observed each year on Sept. 24.
A series of activities are being held from September 19 to 21 in the Ruhija sector of Bwindi in Mpungu subcounty, Kanungu district.
The programme, spearheaded by Change a Life Bwindi in partnership with UWA and other stakeholders, includes community cleaning, tree planting, free medical camps, community dialogue and gorilla tracking.
The national celebration will be held on October 1 instead of September 24, when World Gorilla Day is observed. Muhabwe says the main celebration was moved because of other engagements involving UWA’s top management.
