Ugandan President Supports Conservation

Despite pressure from Basongora pastoralists returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo, President Yoweri Museveni, has made it clear that no part of any National Park in Uganda will be degazetted.

This is probably due to the immense financial benefit the parks and their wildlife bring to the country. Wildlife is integral to Ugandan tourism, which is a major contributor to the country’s economy.

According to Moses Mapesa, who wrote an opinion piece for Uganda's leading daily newspaper, The New Vision, a single gorilla in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park brings in $100,000 (US) per year and provides jobs for 30 people.

Increasing human population has caused a lot of political pressure to degazette park lands for human settlement. And, more than 90% of the Ugandan population is rural, requiring lots of land. Compare this to the less than 20% in South Africa and China, where the population is concentrated in cities and the rural areas are set aside for production and conservation of natural resources.

Human encroachment has jeopardized the wild populations, especially carnivores and omnivores, which are often poisoned by the communities. At least five lions were recently found poisoned in Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park.

To read more of Mapesa’s article, visit www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/459/515276.

Evidence of Global Warming in Africa

The snows of Kilimanjaro are not the only victims of climate change and global warming. Recently, the Rwenzori Centenary Expedition found evidence that glaciers are receding on Africa’s largest alpine region, located in Uganda. The study by British and Ugandan scientists predicts that the equatorial icecaps will disappear within two decades because of global warming.

"Recession of these tropical glaciers sends an unambiguous message of a changing climate in this region of the tropics," said Richard Taylor of the University College London Department of Geography, who led the study funded by The Royal Geographical Society and The Royal Society. Taylor and his colleagues found that in the Rwenzori Mountains, also known as the Mountains of the Moon, there have been clear trends since the 1960s toward increased air temperature without significant changes in precipitation.

Still unknown is how this projected loss of the glaciers will affect tourism, as well as local traditional belief systems, that depend on the snow and ice, known locally as "Nzururu."

The Rwenzori Mountains, also known as the Mountains of the Moon, sit astride the border between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Uganda.

"Considering the continent’s negligible contribution to global greenhouse-gas emissions," said Taylor, "it is a terrible irony that Africa, according to current predictions, will be most affected by climate change."

The Rwenzori Mountains National Park, in Uganda, is one of UNESCO's World Heritage sites. A scientific team has been charged with studying maps of the glaciers, comparing the cartography from 1955 to reports from 1906.

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Photo Source: oldhippies.blogspot.com/2005/03/just-do-it.html

Africa’s Tourism Fostered in First Ever African-Centric Initiative

TourismAfrica, to be held Sept. 10-15 in Geneva, is the first initiative focused solely on African tourism. The event, which gathers qualified African and International decision-makers from both private and public sectors, aims to foster the development of Africa’s tourism industry.

Two of the days, Sept. 14 and 15, will be dedicated to the importance of women in the development of African tourism. The World Association of Women Entrepreneurs is sponsoring the special days.

Some of the topics to be discussed during the congress include heritage preservation, sustainable development and tourism project development.

For more information, visit TourismAfrica’s official website at www.tourismafrica.com.

Annual Goat Races to Be Held Aug. 26

The annual Royal Ascot Goat Races, a Ugandan society event, will be held at the Speke Resort and Conference Center in Munyonyo on Saturday, Aug. 26. The event includes raffle prizes and raises money for a variety of charities, including Sanyu Babies' Home and Uganda Deaf Association.

Nearly 10,000 visitors come to this event each year. For more information, visit thegoatraces.com/index.html.

Crossing Border Made Easier at Mt Elgon National Park

"Uganda and Kenya have allowed visitors to Mt Elgon National Park to cross the common border atop the mountain," reports Lillian Nsubuga, Special Correspondent for The East African, "taking the campaign to create a single East African tourism market to a higher level."

Until now, tourists had to go up and come down the mountain on the same side of the border, but now they have a choice of ascending and descending on either side of the border.

Ugandan and Kenyan officials will soon meet to discuss the initiative, Moses Mapesa Uganda Wildlife Authority executive director told Nsubuga. "We need a memorandum of understanding to guide us on key issues such as the procedures for handing over tourists by one country to another, especially since the point of handover is not an officially gazetted immigration point."

Currently, Kenya and Uganda use transfer forms filled by tourists wishing to cross the border. Immigration officials on either side countersign the forms, confirming entry or exit of the visitors.

The cross-border initiative is one of several joint activities being implemented under the Mt Elgon Regional Ecosystem Conservation Programme. The joint venture aims make the mountain available to tourists at affordable costs.

Kenyan and Ugandan tourism authorities have improved security to stop illegal immigrants from abusing the cross-border tourism facility, Joshua Masereka, chief warden of the park, said. Mt Elgon is one of the 10 national parks managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

For more information, see the full story at allafrica.com/stories/200608140837.html.

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Note: Image from www.shoebillsafaris.com/mount_Elgon.htm

Construction Moratorium Established for Masai Mara

"What strikes you most about the Masai Mara, a massive game reserve in Kenya, is the amount of wildlife roaming its grassy plains," wrote Leigh Murray in a recent travel article for the Chicago Sun-Times. There you can see lions, cheetahs, giraffes and the wildebeest, which make their annual migration through the park.

I spent many a fun weekend with my family there, so it warms the cockles of my heart to discover that the Kenyan Government and the National Environmental Management Authority in Kenya has put a moratorium on construction in Masai Mara until a review and new management plan for the game reserve has been agreed upon.

Both conservationists and stakeholders in the hospitality industry favor the action. According to The East African Standard, "there has been haphazard development of lodges, camps and mushrooming of settlements outside the park gates" over the last 15 years. "More than sixty lodges and camps have been developed without impact assessment being done, exerting pressure on the fragile ecosystem."

The Mara river has suffered serious pollution due to effluent being discharged into the water from establishments along its shores. This river is an important the source of clean water for both human and wild game.

For more information:
allafrica.com/stories/200607240651.html

Luxury Hotel Opens in Kampala, Uganda

The former Nile Hotel has been renovated and reopened as the Kampala Serena Hotel, luxury, five-star hotel.

"This is just the type of investment that Uganda needs to spur its burgeoning tourism sector and attract other investors," said Uganda's Minister of State for Privatisation Prof. Peter Kasenene.

The opening of the hotel not only helps tourism, it also adds value to Uganda's employment sector, as the new facility will employ about 350 people.

The Serena Group owns properties in Kenya and Tanzania, as well, and is considered one of the leading hospitality providers in East Africa.

"The objective from the outset was to create the finest facility in the region," Serena Hotel sales and marketing director Peter Mhogua told travel agents and journalists touring the facility. It took nearly 18 months for the reconstruction and renovation to be completed on this property.

Amenities available at the Kampala Serena include 152 rooms and suites, the Pearl of Africa restaurant, The Mists cocktail bar, the Explorers Bistro, the Lakes' restaurant, Maisha Health Club and a state-of-the-art conference center.

Prince Amyn Aga Khan, Chairman of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), the principal shareholders of the Serena Group, hopes that the new hotel will help the Serena Group expand it safari and leisure circuit in East Africa.

For more information, visit www.serenahotels.com/uganda/kampala/home.asp

Expeditions to East Africa from the National Wildlife Federation

The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) offers a unique travel service with its Expeditions Travel Program. Each trip selected emphasizes the unique wildlife of the area, and all tours include a strong educational component.

Two of their upcoming trips will be to East African countries.

September 11, 2006 - September 23, 2006
Tanzania Adventure Safari
Rate: $4,990 per person including airfare from New York
This safari is designed for travelers seeking something more intimate, more organic, more unique from a trip. It includes several nights of real camping

March 9, 2007 - March 20, 2007
Journey of Discovery to Kenya
Rate: $3,295 per person
Ten days of exploration with naturalists and native guides.

Most tours for 2006 sold out, and the 2007 Expeditions are expected to do the same, so check on these soon, if you’re interested in participating.

NWF promises an intimate and secure expedition, as the groups are kept small -- most tours are limited to 15-20 participants in order to maximize wildlife-viewing opportunities. “Travelers share their adventures with like-minded travelers who are sensitive to the fragile environments visited,” NWF said in a press release.

For more information on NWF Expeditions, including the itinerary for each trip, visit the NWF web site at www.nwf.org/expeditions or call 1-800-606-9563.