Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Research Articles

Africa: Mountain Gorillas Make A Comeback

There was a time, not long ago, when communities around Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park were the mountain gorillas’ worst enemies. When the gorillas crossed their gardens, the inhabitants living close to these dense green rainforests would sound an alarm to confront the animals, who were viewed as a menace. This almost certainly resulted in the deaths of many endangered mountain gorillas.

Effect of altitude on Mistletoe's distribution in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (BNIP), Uganda

Effect of altitude on Mistletoe's distribution in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (BNIP), Uganda

Mistletoes and their diversity in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda

Relatively little is known about the diversity, distribution, and community ecology of parasitic plants in the forests of equatorial Africa. We examined mistletoes in the mountain forests of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Southwestern Uganda. We recorded 1,496 individual mistletoes in 64 0.1-ha plots (6.4 ha total), evenly distributed between open (forest-edge) and closed (forest-interior) locations and spanning an elevation range of 1160 to 2607 m above sea level. These mistletoes included 21 species, seven genera and two families and were recorded on 542 host trees comprising 45 tree species. Overall, mistletoes were more common in open than in closed conditions (356 ha-1 versus 129 ha-1). The most abundant mistletoe species was Englerina woodfordioides (Schweinf. ex Engl.) Balle (328 records) followed by Viscum fischeri Engl. (316 records). Six mistletoe species were recorded just once. Harungana madagascariensis Lam. ex Poir. hosted the greatest diversity of mistletoes with nine species, while Maesa lanceolata Voigt hosted eight. Chao’s estimator indicates that mistletoe species richness across the whole forest likely exceeds 40 species which would be over ten percent of the mistletoe taxa known from the continent. The overall diversity and density of mistletoes appears high when compared to reported surveys from elsewhere. Mistletoes add significant botanical diversity in this forest and likely make a substantial contribution to its ecology.

Woodlot management and livelihoods in a tropical conservation landscape

In biodiversity hotspots, there is often tension between human needs and conservation, exacerbated when protected areas prevent access to natural resources. Forest-dependent people may compensate for exclusion by managing unprotected forests or cultivating planted woodlots. Outside Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda, household wood product needs are high and population growth puts pressure on the environment. We investigated the role of privately and collectively managed woodlots in provisioning wood products and supporting local livelihoods. We found that households relied heavily on woodlots for daily needs and as resources during time of need. We also found that locally relevant social institutions, called stretcher groups, played a role in the management of woodlots, providing shared community resources. Privately and collectively owned woodlots support local livelihoods and wood product needs in the region. Long-term management of forests in Uganda should consider the value of woodlots and the mechanisms required to support them.

Variability of weaning age in mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei).

Weaning is a key life history milestone for mammals that represents both the end of nutritional investment from the perspective of mothers and the start of complete nutritional independence for the infants. The age at weaning may vary depending on ecological, social, and demographic factors experienced by the mother and infant. Bwindi mountain gorillas live in different environmental conditions and have longer interbirth intervals than their counterparts in the Virunga Volcanoes, yet other life history characteristics of this population remain less well known. We use long-term data from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda to examine factors related to weaning age. We analyzed data on infants born in four mountain gorilla groups in Bwindi to quantify their age of weaning (defined as last nipple contact) and to test if the sex of offspring, parity, and dominance rank of mother influences age of weaning. We also compared the age at weaning and time to conception after resumption of mating in Bwindi and Virunga gorillas. Bwindi gorillas were weaned at an average age of 57.5 months. No difference was found between age of weaning for primiparous and multiparous mothers, nor did maternal dominance rank influence age of weaning, but sons were weaned at a later age than daughters. The majority of Bwindi mothers were still suckling when they resumed mating and mothers generally conceived before they weaned their previous offspring. The age of weaning was significantly later in Bwindi than in Virunga gorillas. After mothers resumed mating, the time to conceiving the next offspring was not significantly longer for Bwindi females than Virungas females (6 vs. 4 months). Later weaning age for sons than daughters is similar to findings of other studies of great apes. Bwindi mountain gorillas are weaned at approximately the same age as western gorillas and chimpanzees, which is more than a year later than Virunga mountain gorillas. The results of this study suggest that variation in ecological conditions of populations living in close geographic proximity can result in variation in life history patterns, which has implications for understanding the evolution of the unique life history patterns of humans.

The endangered African Great Ape: Pesticide residues in soil and plants consumed by Mountain Gorillas (Gorilla beringei) in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, East Africa

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park situated southwest of Uganda is a biodiversity hotspot that is home to about half of the world's endangered mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei). Given its ecological significance and mounting pressures from agricultural activities such as tea growing, continuous monitoring of the levels of chemical toxins like pesticides in the park and surrounding areas is needed for effective conservation strategies. Furthermore, persistent organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) like DDT were used in agricultural gardens and indoor spraying in Kanungu district between the 1950s and 80s. The focus of this study was to explore the possible exposure of mountain gorillas to OCPs and cypermethrin used by the farmers in the areas near the park. Data from our interviews revealed that glyphosate is the most widely used pesticide by the farmers in areas surrounding the park, followed by cypermethrin, and mancozeb. Samples of leaves from plants consumed by mountain gorillas along the forest edges of the park and surficial soils (15–20 cm depths) were collected from three sites (Ruhija, Nkuringo and Buhoma) and analysed for the presence of cypermethrin and OCPs residues. Concentrations of total (∑) DDTs and ∑endosulfans were up to 0.34 and 9.89 mg/kg dry weight (d.w), respectively in soil samples. Concentrations of ∑DDTs and ∑endosulfans in samples of leaves ranged from 0.67 to 1.38 mg/kg d.w (mean = 1.07 mg/kg d.w) and 0.9 to 2.71 mg/kg d.w (mean = 1.68 mg/kg d.w), respectively. Mean concentration of ∑DDTs in leaves exceeded the European pharmacopeia and United States pharmacopeia recommended maximum residue limit values for DDTs in medicinal plants (1.0 mg/kg). In addition, calculated hazard indices for silverbacks (36.35), females (57.54) and juveniles (77.04) suggested potential health risks to the mountain gorillas. o,p′-DDT/p,p′-DDT ratios (0.5–0.63) in samples of leaves confirmed recent input of dicofol-DDT type in Bwindi rainforest.

Gorilla habituation and the role of animal agency in conservation and tourism development at Bwindi, South Western Uganda

Discussions of gorilla habituation often emphasise human control of gorillas, whereby gorillas are usually singularly defined by their species membership. This perspective leaves little room for imagining the role of gorillas in habituation, conservation and tourism development processes. In this paper, we use insights from Actor Network Theory and more-than-human geography to explore and reconstruct the practice of gorilla habituation in order to understand gorillas as actors in habituation, conservation and tourism development at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (hereafter Bwindi), Uganda. To do so, we use the concept of relational animal agency to trace the various ways in which gorillas interact with each other, various groups of people, and their environment. Ethnographic observations, unstructured interviews and document study indicate that gorillas are ‘multiple’ and thus need to be understood beyond their species membership alone. They are involved in intricate relations with each other, with other non-human and human subjects, and their shared environment. Furthermore, gorillas are not completely and passively controlled by humans through habituation: we argue that habituation as a relational process is more complex. Gorillas also habituate other gorillas and arguably can be seen to habituate humans as well. As a result, gorillas co-produce multiple versions of the Bwindi landscape, of conservation, tourism and development practices, as well as multiple ways of being gorillas. Based on these insights, we argue that instead of focusing on control, the dynamics between gorillas and their landscapes could be harnessed to explore a dynamic range of possibilities for living together with gorillas, while continuously adapting to issues that will arise in places such as Bwindi.

Plastic trade-offs

Conservation In just over 100 years, plastics have become both a necessity and a scourge, replacing natural materials in a myriad of uses and becoming a ubiquitous contaminant both in ecosystems and within organisms. For human populations in and around tropical forests, natural materials are available to process and store food. Bitariho et al. looked at trade-offs between using wild climbing plants to make baskets and winnowers and using plastic containers and devices. The authors accounted for food security, potential for plastic pollution, and the conservation status of 15 species of climbing plants around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. Families that had permission to collect wild climbing plants had more food storage and processing devices than those who did not. Although this study identified the risks of overharvesting one vulnerable climber species, it also showed that families with access to natural materials experienced greater food security and less plastic use and waste. Conserv. Sci. Pract. 2 , e275 (2020).

The most marginalized people in Uganda? Alternative realities of Batwa at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Indigenous peoples such as the Batwa in Uganda are predominantly seen as marginalised groups, leaving little room for foregrounding their power, influence and involvement in tourism and development. Inspired by Foucauldian discourse theory and Actor-Network Theory [ANT], we use the concept of relational agency to analyse how the Batwa contribute to conservation and tourism development, and deepen our understanding of agency in the context of the Batwa at the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Uganda). Based on this conceptualisation we analysed the dominant (academic and non-academic) discourses on the Batwa in the light of in-depth ethnographic research to seek for alternative Batwa realities. Whereas scientific, NGO and governmental literature predominantly reduced the Batwa to marginalised, poor and oppressed victims of development, our ethnographic research observed the Batwa as a vibrant community that deploys expertise on forest ecology, tourism entrepreneurship, organisational capacity and political activism. With such insights we discuss the consequences of agency reduction and the ways to take the Batwa’s situational agency into account. Highlighting the multiple realities of Batwa-ness provide a starting point of relating with the Batwa in ways that acknowledge them as agential, rather than only marginalised.

Regulated access to wild climbers has enhanced food security and minimized use of plastics by frontline households at a premier African protected area

AbstractThe amount of food harvested, processed and stored by households determines food availability—a key dimension to food security. In developing countries, frontline households around protected areas harvest wild climbers for making food security products. When access to the wild climbers is denied, households adapt by using other available alternatives such as plastics with potential consequences to biodiversity. The relationships between harvesting wild climbers and: (a) food availability, (b) plastic use, and (c) wild climber populations have rarely been investigated. We interviewed 119 frontline households adjacent to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda to evaluate the relationships between household access to wild climbers and: (a) plastic use and (b) food security. We used forest surveys to assess the impact of harvest on population structure of three mostly utilized wild climbers. The frontline households used more wild climber products (65.02%) than plastics (34.97%). Fifteen wild climbers were harvested for food security products. Two of these; Dracaena laxissima and Smilax anceps depicted size class distributions similar to those of healthy sustainable plant populations, while Monanthotaxis littoralis depicted a size class distribution of unsustainably harvested plant populations. We recommend increased access to wild climbers for enhancing food security and minimizing use of plastics.

Assessing attitudes towards gorilla conservation via employee interviews.

To determine the effectiveness of conservation strategies, not only should we monitor biological variables, such as population size and levels of illegal activity, but also we should examine changes in attitudes and behavior of local community members. Here, I use semistructured interviews of employees at two field sites, in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda and Loango National Park, Gabon, to understand if their employment influenced their attitude towards gorillas and conservation and led to behavior change. In contrast to western views of gorillas as "gentle giants," staff viewed gorillas as dangerous animals before working for these projects. Overall, employment leads to viewing conservation and gorillas more positively, and in many cases, viewing the gorillas as kin. The most common value attributed to the gorillas was economic, yet intrinsic and non-use existence values were frequently mentioned. Loango staff, but not Bwindi staff, reported behavior change related to hunting and bushmeat consumption, which likely is related to bushmeat consumption being commonplace in Gabon but not in Uganda. The Bwindi staff seemed to have a more positive and broader outlook towardconservation than the Loango staff, possibly because they had more years of formal education, they worked with gorillas longer, there is more history of conservation activities in Bwindi, and/or they have been less directly affected by negative consequences of conservation (e.g., crop raiding). This study shows the importance of explaining that gorillas are not dangerous if not provoked and using their human-like characteristics as a means to change conservation values and interest of local communities, while concurrently recognizing that providing economic benefits and reducing negative effects of wildlife are a reality for conservation buy-in.

Rodents as potential hosts and reservoirs of parasites along the edge of a Central African forest: Bwindi impenetrable national park, South Western Uganda.

Rodents which constitute 42% of the world's mammalian population are major reservoirs of pathogens that cause zoonoses. Currently we know little about rodents' potential zoonotic transfer from human settlements into protected areas and how any such threats might be reduced. To investigate the role of rodents as reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens along the boundary of Bwindi. A rodent inventory in three villages along the edge of Bwindi, was carried using live trapping techniques and the local rodents' ecto and endoparasite fauna investigated. Two hundred eighty eight rodents captured belonged to 24 species, 17 genera and 4 families with Lophuromys aquilus being most abundant (30.2%). 240 ectoparasites which included mites, fleas and ticks were collected from 88 rodents out of 249. Proamys jacksoni rodents were most infested. Although the mites represented the largest proportion (84.6%), the highest species diversity was shown among the fleas (9 species). Some 36.9% of the rodents were infected with endoparasites of which L. aquilus haboured most. Endoparasitic genera identified included Nippostrongylus, Ascaris, Strongyloides, Trichuris, Hymenolepis, Taenia and Cryptosporidium. Rodents have a zoonotic potentiality. There is need for developing effective integrated rodent management programs against rodent to reduce chances of parasite transmission within the protected areas.

Fruit-feeding and activity patterns of mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda.

Availability of fruit is an important factor influencing variation in great ape foraging strategies and activity patterns. This study aims to quantify how frugivory influences activity budgets across age-sex classes of mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. Daily proportions of fruit-feeding and activity budgets were calculated using 6 years of observational data on four habituated groups. We fitted generalized linear mixed models to test for age-sex differences in the amount of fruit-feeding, and to test whether these factors influence the proportion of time spent feeding, resting, and traveling. Bwindi mountain gorillas spent on average 15% of feeding time consuming fruit, with monthly variation ranging from 0 to 70%. Greater amounts of fruit-feeding were associated with more time feeding and traveling, and less time resting. Immatures tended to spend more feeding time on fruit than adults, but less overall time feeding and more time traveling. There were no significant differences in the amount of fruit-feeding and overall feeding time between adult females and silverback males, despite differences in body size. This study confirms that gorillas are frugivorous, and only the Virunga mountain gorilla population can be characterized as highly folivorous. Along with other frugivorous great apes, Bwindi mountain gorillas alter their activity patterns in response to varying amounts of fruit in their diet. A better understanding of how variable ecological conditions can drive diversity even within a subspecies has important implications for understanding relationships between ecology, body size, and foraging strategies in great apes.

Lack of Rule-Adherence During Mountain Gorilla Tourism Encounters in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, Places Gorillas at Risk From Human Disease.

Mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) are an endangered primate species, with ~43% of the 1,063 individuals that remain on the planet today residing in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (BINP) in southwestern Uganda. These primates are at the heart of a growing tourism industry that has incentivized their continued protection, but close proximity between humans and gorillas during such encounters presents well-documented risks for disease transmission. The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has developed rules to help protect the health of the gorillas, limiting each habituated gorilla group to a single 60 min visit each day by a group of no more than 8 tourists, and emphasizing that humans maintain a >7 m distance from gorillas at all times. A number of studies have documented that not all tour groups respect these rules. This project assesses rule-adherence during gorilla tourism encounters at BINP using both observational and survey-based data collected during the tourism high season between May and August, 2014. Observational data from 53 treks reveal that groups of 1–11 tourists engaged in gorilla viewing encounters between 46 and 98 min in duration. Although 96% of pre-trek briefings conducted by park rangers emphasized the need to maintain >7 m human-gorilla spacing, the 7 m distance rule was violated in over 98% (52 out of 53) of the tours examined in this study. Observational data were collected at 2 min intervals during gorilla-viewing encounters, documenting the nearest distance between any tourist and a gorilla (n = 1,604), of which 1,094 observations (68.2%) took place at a distance less than or equal to 7 m. Importantly, the 7 m rule was violated in visits to all of the gorilla groups habituated during the time of the study. In 224 observations (~14%, per 1,604 total), human-gorilla spacing was 3 m or less. Survey data (n = 243) revealed promising opportunities to improve tourist understanding of and adherence to park rules, with 73.6% of respondents indicating that they would be willing to utilize a precautionary measure of wearing a face-mask during encounters to protect gorilla health.

Cryptosporidium and giardia species in newly and previously habituated gorillas and nearby water sources in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda.

Introductioncryptosporidium and giardia are of great one health significance and major cause of protozoan diarrhea in humans and primates; they are found in the faecal matter of animals and humans and also in contaminated water and soil as well. Therefore, we aimed at establishing the prevalence and shedding intensity of faecal Cryptosporidium and giardia in the Newly Habituated Mountain Gorillas (NHMG) and Previously Habituated Mountain Gorillas (PHMG) and in selected water sources within the gorilla home ranges in the month of January 2018.Methodswe conducted a cross sectional study in the southern sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park where a total of 56 faecal samples from both NHMG (34) and PHMG (22) and 30 water samples were purposively collected. Faecal and water samples were transported in a cooler box at 4ºC to Makerere University Parasitology Laboratory for analysis. The samples were analyzed using modified Ziehl-Neelsen technique and Ether concentration method for Cryptosporidium and giardia respectively.Resultsthe prevalence of cryptosporidium was established as 13 (59.1%), 15 (44.1%) and 7 (23.3%) in PHMG, NHMG and water respectively. The mean concentration of the oocysts per gram was 222±52.9 in PHMG, 174±41.5 in NHMG and 31±13.2 in water. The prevalence of giardia was 3 (13.6%), 4 (11.8%) and 3 (10%) in PHMG, NHMG and water respectively. The mean concentration of the oocysts per gram was 34±19.9 in PHMG, 25±12.4 in NHMG and 5±2.9 in water. There was no significant difference in both the prevalence of cryptosporidium (p>0.05) and giardia (p>0.05) in the PHMG and NHMG. This indicates that there is high risk of cross infection among the gorillas within the forest sharing similar home ranges.Conclusionthe park authorities should ensure that procedures for proper waste disposal while in the forest are properly followed, water drawn for drinking from the forest should be avoided. Further research should be carried out to identify whether the strains of the parasites found in water or other animals in the forest are the same with strains in gorilla dung in order to confirm cross infection.

Damage to artificial seedlings across a disturbed Afromontane forest landscape

AbstractSeedling mortality is an important demographic bottleneck for forest regeneration, yet the factors influencing recruitment are often poorly characterized across space and time. In African highlands, where extensive patches of previously disturbed forests remain in persistent shrub‐dominated states, patterns of damage to seedlings have not been examined in detail. We used artificial seedlings to determine how (non‐herbivory‐related) damage varies across a fragmented forest landscape in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. A total of 848 artificial seedlings were established in 106 plots, each with 8 seedlings, across a gradient of environmental factors, including habitat type, topographic position, distance to water, and distance to human activity. We divided damage into that due to vertebrates, plant debris, and unknown agents. From our 16,960 monthly stem assessments, 1,289 damage events were recorded. The mean “seedling” damage per year (± 1 SE) was 59.5 ± 2.3%. Damage was significantly more frequent in sites dominated by short herbs (66.1 ± 3.0) than in sites dominated by shrubs (60.1 ± 2.6) and ferns (47.9 ± 2.7). The mean percentage of damage by each class of agents was 45.8 ± 2.1% for vertebrates, 21.4 ± 2.1% for plant debris, and 3.8 ± 0.6% for unknown agents. These rates surpass those reported in other montane forests, likely reflecting the density of large vertebrates in our site. Our results indicate that most damage to artificial seedlings arises from larger vertebrates but that most spatial variation in this damage reflects the impacts of falling plant debris. These damage processes appear sufficient to constrain the regeneration of tree species in areas where forest cover is patchy and fragmented.

Water games by mountain gorillas: implications for behavioral development and flexibility-a case report.

Functions of play, which may be performed solo or in a social context, include motor training and behavioral flexibility. Play is often more common in infancy and the juvenile period, although it also occurs in adults of many species. In contrast to social play, few studies have investigated solitary play. Here, we present new empirical data on solitary water play in a subadult and two adult mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, observed on three different days between January and February 2018. Focal sampling was used to record the behavior of the individuals interacting with water. Movements included vigorous rotation of the arms, splashing the water, tilting the head, making a play face, and sweeping with the hands to create waves on the water surface. One of the episodes represents the first vigorous display of splashing water ever reported for Bwindi gorillas. Our observations highlight three significant components of mountain gorilla development and behavior: play, behavioral flexibility, and exploration.

Dispersal and reproductive careers of male mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda

Dispersal is a key event in the life of an animal and it influences individual reproductive success. Male mountain gorillas exhibit both philopatry and dispersal, resulting in a mixed one-male and multimale social organization. However, little is known about the relationship between male dispersal or philopatry and reproductive careers in Bwindi mountain gorillas. Here we analyze data spanning from 1993 to 2017 on social groups in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda to examine the proportion of males that disperse, age of dispersal, pathways to attaining alpha status, fate of dispersing males and philopatric males, and male tenure length as well as make comparisons of these variables to the Virunga mountain gorilla population. We report previously undocumented cases of dispersal by immature males and old males and we also observed the only known case of a fully mature male immigrating into a breeding group. We used genetic tracking of known individuals to estimate that a minimum of 25% of males that disperse to become solitary males eventually form new groups. No differences were found between the Bwindi and Virunga population in the age of male dispersal, the proportion of males that disperse, the age of alpha male acquisition, and dominance tenure length. The lack of differences may be due to small sample sizes or because the observed ecological variability does not lead to life history differences between the populations. Males in both populations follow variable strategies to attain alpha status leading to the variable one-male and multimale social organization, including dispersal to become solitary and eventually form a group, via group fissioning, usurping another alpha male, or inheriting the alpha position when a previous group leader dies.

Scaling up a one-health model of conservation through public health: experiences in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Abstract Background Endangered mountain gorillas are threatened by habitat destruction, wildlife poaching, and disease—factors exacerbated by high levels of human poverty and population growth rates in and around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. In 2003, Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH) was founded when fatal scabies skin disease outbreaks in Bwindi gorillas were traced to local communities who had inadequate access to basic health services. In 2007, CTPH implemented volunteer community-based family planning and later trained village health and conservation teams. These teams, using the one-health approach, promoted family planning, health, and conservation. The work resulted in a three-fold increase in family-planning users, reduced incidence of gorilla disease, and greater community support for conservation. Further, women become more involved in conservation and men become more involved in family planning. Here, we describe the scaling up of the one-health approach to protected areas in Africa. Methods In 2015, CTPH expanded the model of village health and conservation teams, sustained by village savings and loan associations, to a protected area with gorillas, at Mikeno and Mount Tshiabirimu sectors of Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and to a non-protected gorilla area in Bukwo, Kween, and Bulambuli Districts of Mount Elgon National Park, Uganda. Both areas have high poverty levels and human population densities. Staff from CTPH monitored the project; village health and conservation teams collected data at household level. Findings Between 2015 and 2017, 81 000 people from 13 000 households in 139 villages in five districts were reached by 163 village health and conservation teams. Teams established ten financially stable networks that had group livestock to generate income that was reinvested in Village Savings and Loan Associations. Some households had improved water sanitation and hygiene, and 1597 patients with scabies were referred to the nearest health centre, as were 35 people with tuberculosis and 1674 with malnutrition. There was also an uptake of family planning services, including: implants (571 people), the contraceptive pill (479), intrauterine devices (119), tubal ligation (163), and side-effects management (749). At Mount Elgon, 9652 homes planted trees. Contraceptives from the Ministry of Health in Uganda, were provided free of charge to 3829 people in Mount Elgon and 285 people in Virunga. Interpretation CTPH's one-health approach has promoted better family planning, population, health, and conservation in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Scaling up requires more resources and dedicated organisational, governmental, professional, and community collaborations. Funding Global Development Network Japanese Social Development Fund.

Some Initial Observations Concerning the African Wild Banana Ensete ventricosum as a Resource for Vertebrates

The ecological role and significance of “African wild bananas” Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman (Musaceae) are unknown. We considered if E. ventricosum, with its sustained flowering and fruiting, might act in some ways like a keystone species by supporting animal populations during periods of resource scarcity. We deployed camera traps facing flowers or fruits of E. ventricosum for a total of 40 camera months in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. We recorded 1,691 visitor events by 11 vertebrate species to flowers and fruits (1,129 events by five species to flowers and 562 events by eight species to fruits); these visitors included potential pollinators and seed dispersers. Frequent visitors to flowers were the African dormouse Graphiurus murinus (53.3%), Nectar bat Megaloglossus woermanni (43.8%), and sunbirds (family Nectariniidae) (2.4%) while those to fruits were Carruther’s mountain squirrel Funisciurus carruthersi (54.1%), L'hoest's monkey Allochrocebus l’hoesti (18.7%), and Forest giant pouched rat Cricetomys emini (18.6%). Flower visitors were mainly nocturnal (with birds favoring dusk), while fruit visitors exhibited both diurnal and nocturnal activity patterns. The data indicate that by producing flowers and fruits continuously, E. ventricosum should support animal populations when other flower and fruit resources are scarce. We speculate that establishing these plants in degraded areas may facilitate forest resilience and recovery while providing fallback resources to many species. Such plant species are prime contenders for protection and restoration.