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Around Bwindi a lot
of people lost
unlimited access to
the forest when it
as gazetted as a
National Park in
1991, this changed
again when in 1993
multiple use zones
were installed. With
this the value of
the forest and its
resources to the
local people
changed. To capture
the economic values
of both direct and
indirect services a
forest ecosystem
provides is not an
easy task but it is
key to how resources
should be allocated.
Conservation,
poverty and
development are
strongly linked.
Conservation can
only be achieved if
projects are planned
and managed with the
people living around
protected areas,
therefore future
conservation efforts
should always bare
the people-nature
relation in mind as
a starting point.
In this study an
estimation was made
of the economic
value of the forest
and the impact of
the park on the
people using methods
such as household
surveys, contingent
valuation methods
and comparisons of
observable market
prices. In the scope
of this research
only direct,
consumptive benefits
from the park were
measured. So
services provided by
the forest like the
preservation of
biodiversity, soil
conservation,
research, or even
tourism were not
taken into account
in this evaluation.
This means that the
outcome of this
research doesn’t
depict the actual
value of the forest,
it only reflects
part of it.
People living within
a 3 km radius of the
park receive a
higher annual
monetary value from
the forest ($47-63)
than those beyond
the 3 km radius
($12-16). When
people were asked
what they were
willing to accept
for complete loss of
park benefits their
answers ranged from
$77 to $81 per year.
The aggregated value
of the entire forest
was estimated at
$1.38-1.45 million a
year.
Firewood and honey
showed to be the
most valuable forest
resources. Therefore
beekeeping, when
done in a
sustainable way, has
some potential for
improving the
economic welfare of
the people around
the park. Some
recommendation for
stimulating this
would be;
reorganising and
strengthening the
beekeepers
association,
identifying areas
for sustainable
honey production and
conducting research
into potential
forest plant species
that could be grown
on farms to provide
a good source of
nectar.
Possible follow up
question:
•
Does UWA use
economic valuation
in assessing how
MUZ’s should be used
by the communities?
As in quota,
boundaries of MUZ’s,
who to give permits?
•
What has happened
with beekeeping
since this research?
Has it increased? Is
it more organised,
more commercial?
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