Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (From the Archive)

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The sharp boundary between the park and the agricultural fields reflects the continual tension between forest conservation and local livelihoods in the region.

In the Bwindi forest.  That's me in the left foreground.  That's a silverback mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) shown inside the white circle.  A large female is also visible in the lower right of the image.  [NOTE: Both images are scans from slides; the second one was taken by Chris Davey]

In October of 2001, Tony Cunningham and I did a workshop on ecology and resource management for the wardens and park staff at the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in southwestern Uganda.  About half of the world's population of Mountain Gorillas lives in these forests.  After finishing the workshop, the park managers graciously allowed us to accompany a team of Batwa trackers who had been following a group of gorillas for several months.  The trackers were working to gradually habituate the gorillas so that they could be observed and studied by scientists.   After several hours, we located the study group and were able to get unbelievably (uncomfortably) close to some of the most elusive, threatened, and noble creatures in the world. [NOTE: Although I appreciate the potential scientific benefits of habituation, I question the logic of training gorillas to not be afraid of the one thing that they definitely should fear, i.e. human beings.

Cellphone in Uganda

Standing on the main street of Kabale in southwestern Uganda (about 10 km from the border with Rwanda) talking to Elysa on Tony Cunningham's cell phone. The year is 2001, we had just finished a resource management workshop  for park staff at the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (see Bwindi Impenetrable Forest), and this was the first time that I had ever made an international call by cellphone. I was accustomed to standing in line at public phone offices and suffering through bad connections, language difficulties, and tiny, stuffy phone booths to call home. Thought cellphone technology was close to magic. [NOTE: Picture, and workshop logistics, by Tony Cunningham (thx, Tony)]. 

Kids On A Bridge

Let's see. I know I took this picture in Uganda in late 2001 (says so on the slide). And I think we were on our way back to Kampala after giving a workshop at the Bwindi Impenentrable Forest Reserve (see Bwindi Impenetrable Forest). This is probably the entrance to a restaurant that we stopped at along the road to have lunch. As frequently happens, all of the local kids came out to greet us. Especially like the little guy in the center making the face. [NOTE: Looks like we have some erosion issues judging from the root ball of the tree in front of the bridge].  

Mantled Guerezas (from the Archive)

This is really kind of a crummy photo, but seeing these two Mantled Guereza monkeys (Colobus guereza) leaping from tree to tree in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Reserve (see Bwindi Impenetrable Forest) with their long white mantle trailing behind was breathtaking. 

...faces among the leaves,
being ears and eyes of trees,
soft hands and haunches pressed on boughs and vines

Then - wha! - she leaps out in the air
the baby dangling from her belly,

they float there,

-she fetches up along another limb - and settles in.

Mountains and Rivers Without End
Gary Snyder, 1966.

Mantled Guerezas

This is really kind of a crummy photo, but seeing these two Mantled Guereza monkeys (Colobus guereza) leaping from tree to tree in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Reserve (see Bwindi Impenetrable Forest) with their long white mantle trailing behind was breathtaking. 

African Drums

 

Cowhides staked-out along the side of the road to Kampala in Uganda. The skins are used for covering small drums made for the tourist trade.

The demand for these drums is apparently very high, and all six of the preferred wood species for drum carving are overexploited and rapidly disappearing from local forests. My friend Tony Cunningham, who studies the drum trade in central Africa, recommends that buyers look for drums made from cultivated trees rather than wild species.  

Fieldwork in Uganda

 

These guys went to the field with me a lot in Uganda, especially during my time at Mgahinga Gorilla National Park on the border with Rwanda.  Pleasant company, actually.  The constant presence of the guns, however, was really disconcerting.    

Consensus

As part of a project evaluation at the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Reserve in western Uganda (see Bwindi Impenetrable Forest), I visited a village within the buffer zone of the reserve and talked to the residents about the types of activities that could - and could not - be developed in this habitat.  After a lengthy discussion, the idea of creating simple lodges for tourists that come to see gorillas was mutually agreed on.  Several women did a  spontaneous little dance to acknowledge the consensus.

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The sharp boundary between the park and the agricultural fields reflects the continual tension between forest conservation and local livelihoods in the region.

In the Bwindi forest.  That's me in the left foreground.  That's a silverback mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) shown inside the white circle.  A large female is also visible in the lower right of the image.  [NOTE: Both images are scans from slides; the second one was taken by Chris Davey]

In October of 2001, Tony Cunningham and I did a workshop on ecology and resource management for the wardens and park staff at the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in southwestern Uganda.  About half of the world's population of Mountain Gorillas lives in these forests.  After finishing the workshop, the park managers graciously allowed us to accompany a team of Batwa trackers who had been following a group of gorillas for several months.  The trackers were working to gradually habituate the gorillas so that they could be observed and studied by scientists.   After several hours, we located the study group and were able to get unbelievably (uncomfortably) close to some of the most elusive, threatened, and noble creatures in the world. [NOTE: Although I appreciate the potential scientific benefits of habituation, I question the logic of training gorillas to not be afraid of the one thing that they definitely should fear, i.e. human beings.