The project provides alternative source of food and income to reformed poachers as bush meat alternative. The project will establish & sustain the community organic fish ponds & also support beneficiaries to grow their own fish, vegetables & learn how to process fish feeds & give soft revolving loans to farmers to invest in their livelihood projects and sell their produce to tourism lodges. This Will create a situation were people no longer think of poaching and killing gorillas.
Poverty,hunger and malnutrition has become clonic to over 500 reformed poachers in south western Uganda . This came about in1993 when access to the Bwindi forest was controlled and those staying in and depending on it for Livelihood were evicted. The people have depended on the forest since they lived. Upon eviction they found life become deficult with no food & income. They used convetional farming skills that have been not enough to support their income & food needs hence poaching as option
The project will do community conservation awareness & train and support beneficiaries in fish/vegetable growing and marketing. The project will use the revolving soft loan to help beneficiaries do their farming business. A farmer's grocery will be established, sell to tourism lodges& encourage community tourism. Cooking lessons and proper feeding plan especially for pregnant mothers and infants will be promoted. Money collected after sales will be used to pay school fees for their children.
Poverty, hunger and malnutrition are root causes of poaching bush meat in Bwindi Park which leads to killing of Gorillas.With this project implemented, fears that poachers are desperately going into the forest looking for Bush meat will come to an end. conservation benefits awareness & Agro tourism will also bring conservation benefits to poor people thus harmony between man and nature. When poachers reform gorilla populations will increase and enhance wider biodiversity protection.
