Pangolins in Murchison falls
By: Kato Paul
Worth Noting:
- In addition to that, the oil activities are also expected to put a big threat to the livelihoods of the animals in the National because of the oil roads which was constructed through the national part. This will also affect the breeding sites of the animals hence leading to the reduction of the number of animal in the park.
- The animals needs to protect from the poachers because the contributes much to the country’s economy and people’s livelihoods for instance the promote tourism sector in Uganda which contributes 7.7% of the NGD and about 667600 employment opportunities to the Uganda’s population.
Last week the media reported about the Murchison host communities from Nwoya district hunting the pangolins for food and trading. The residents are doing this because they don’t know the importance of these animals on the country economy.
The people are carrying out poaching in the National park due to the failure by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) to sensitize the local communities surrounding the park about the importance’s of the national parks on people’s livelihoods and the Economy, limited supervision by game rangers, corruption and weak laws to protect the wild animals in the national parks especially the pangolins which are being hunted by the people from Nwoya district
It is noted that In Uganda, part of the “pangolin belt” of central Africa, the mammal is endemic to the Murchison Falls National Park and areas of northern and northwestern Uganda.
According to 2016 report by the global conservation NGO, WildAid, estimated that products harvested from 4,340 pangolins were trafficked from Uganda in the past year. The animals are under a big threat by poachers from the surrounding district of Nwoya, Buliisa Kiryandongo as well.
In addition to that, the oil activities are also expected to put a big threat to the livelihoods of the animals in the National because of the oil roads which was constructed through the national part. This will also affect the breeding sites of the animals hence leading to the reduction of the number of animal in the park.
The animals needs to protect from the poachers because the contributes much to the country’s economy and people’s livelihoods for instance the promote tourism sector in Uganda which contributes 7.7% of the NGD and about 667600 employment opportunities to the Uganda’s population.
I call on Uganda Wildlife Authority, local leader in the neighboring districts, and other relevant stakeholders to sensitize the public about the importances of the wildlife on the people’s livelihoods, the country’s economy, strengthen the laws that are going to protect these animals from the poachers.
Kato Paul-Research associate at Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO)
Katop.adyeeri@gmail.com.
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