John Makombo, director of conservation at the Uganda Wildlife Authority, has called on local governments in the district to promote community-based tourism so that the community can remain involved in wildlife conservation for generations.

Makombo, who represented Sam Mwandha, Director of the Uganda Wildlife Authority, made the comments on Friday during the commemoration of World Chimpanzee Day, held yesterday at the Ngoto-Bwindi Tourism Hub in Kirima Sub County in Kanungu District.

The day was organised by the Kanungu District Local Government in collaboration with the Kinkizi Diocese and the Jane Goodall Institute under the theme: “Chimpanzee, Mountain Gorillas Shared in Landscape.

Makombo said Kanungu District has two national parks and they will benefit even more if they are put to good use through conservation and promotion of community-based tourism.

He thanked the Diocese of Kinkizi, led by Bishop Dan Zoreka, the Jane Goodall Institute and the Kanungu District Local Government as partners in conservation and the Bwindi-Ngoto Community Conservation and Development Initiatives for identifying their community to get involved in chimpanzee habituation.

The dignitaries also took part in a nature walk around the Ngoto Tourism Hub.

According to the Uganda Wildlife Authority, the chimpanzee is a primate that shares 99.8% of its genes with humans, so it should be protected and preserved for future generations. He also noted that research on the chimpanzee over the years has revealed that the primates have the ability to communicate with humans and also use certain tools, just like humans.

Makombo, head of conservation at the Uganda Wildlife Authority, pledged to work with the Kinkizi diocese to ensure that Ngoto becomes a central point for chimpanzee-spotting tourists, like other emerging urban centres Buhoma, Ruhija in Rubanda district and Nkuringo in Kisoro, which are thriving on business and infrastructure development thanks to mountain gorilla conservation and adaptation.

He announced that there are other chimpanzee sites in Kibale, Kyambura and Karinju that have become regular tourist attractions because they are fully booked year after year. The construction of the Bwindi-Ngoto chimpanzee site will not change the area and the community around it.

He therefore asked leaders at all levels to encourage the community, especially the Batwa living on the fringes of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, to undertake community and domestic activities to benefit from the developing tourism sector.

The Bishop of Kinkizi Diocese, Reverend Dan Zoreka, said that as a church they have designated the Ngoto Tourism Hub to promote chimpanzee habituation for development and have asked all people in Kanungu to take responsibility to protect the primates.

Bishop Dan Zoreka appealed to the Uganda Wildlife Authority to assist the diocese with technical and financial support, develop the NGO Tourism Hub and make the area a major tourist destination.

The Bishop was there to apologize on behalf of the community for the encroachment into the protected area and assured that this would not happen again as all people are now aware of the importance of nature conservation and its benefits.

Jane Goodall Institute Executive Director James Byamukama thanked the people of Kanungu for spreading the message of peace, which is a core principle of their institute, whose vision to protect and conserve chimpanzees has become a reality.

Byamukama said the Jane Goodall Institute has been researching chimpanzees continuously for 64 years, since its founder, Dr Jane Goodall, came to Africa and Tanzania from Britain and has been rescuing and protecting the primates ever since.

He said the Jane Goodall Institute has developed a national chimpanzee conservation programme that aims to work with communities to improve household incomes by involving people in income-generating activities that do not endanger the primates.

He thanked Rev. Canon Kenneth Kanyankore, who chaired the organizing committee that organized this year’s World Chimpanzee Day, and promised more support for such activities, especially in taking conservation massage to schools and institutions that are agents of change. He also promised that his organization will ensure that participating schools and institutions are supported and taken on study tours to ensure that their massages develop rich content.

Kanungu Deputy Commissioner Gad Ahimbisibwe Rugaju thanked Bishop Zoreka and other stakeholders for initiating chimpanzee habituation in Ngoto, saying it will go a long way towards the development of the area.

Ahimbisibwe Rugaju called on the Uganda Wildlife Authority to support the Kanungu District Tourism Office with equipment such as cameras, computers and projectors to facilitate their work in sensitizing the communities about the importance of wildlife conservation, especially the chimpanzee.

The Deputy RDC also called on the Uganda Wildlife Authority to develop proper guidelines on the use of Revenue Sharing Funds so that other sectors such as the manufacturing sector, which are directly involved in promoting the tourism sector, can benefit from it.

He commended the Church of Uganda for, and especially Rt. Rev. Dan Zoreka for, initiating the Ngoto Tourism Hub, which he said was unique in its own way. He said it was well packaged, marketed and promoted and could become the den of the tourism experience because of its unique nature.

Earlier, Nelson Guma, Chief Conservation Officer of Bwindi Mghahinga Conservation Area, said chimpanzees in Bwindi have unique qualities, which is the reason for promoting them.

Guma told of a rare and unique experience with the chimpanzees in Bwindi. Unlike the chimpanzees in Kibale and elsewhere, who make their nests in the trees where they sleep, these chimpanzees can make their beds using grass on the ground where they sleep.