Medard Twinamatsiko

• PhD (Policy Management & Natural Resource Governance)
• Director- Innovations and Technology Transfer at Mbarara University of Science and Technology

The Greater Virunga Landscape (GVL) is an interconnected chain of eleven protected areas that straddle the borders of Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo. The landscape is famous for its mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) and other endangered and endemic flora and fauna. Human threats in some of the Protected Areas (PAs) in t...

This Issues Paper of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas provides an overview of the concept of equitable governance as used in Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework – otherwise known as the 30x30 Target. It charts the emergence of governance as a key issue for protected areas over the last twenty years since the W...

Human-wildlife conflict is a significant challenge in Uganda, particularly in areas where human populations and wildlife habitats overlap. This study examines the efficiency of various interventions aimed at mitigating human-wildlife conflicts in and around Lake Mburo National Park, a region renowned for its rich biodiversity and diverse ecosystems...

This survey examined the preferred menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls in primary Schools. The purpose was to contribute towards the academic performance of female pupils since menstrual hygiene is perceived as key to their concentration and participation in class. The study population included female candidate pupils, school matrons, teachers...

Revenue sharing is considered a major incentive to promote Community Based Approaches to conservation of protected areas. The sharing of revenue from Protected Area resources is supported by conservationists to promote strong partnerships between protected area management and local communities to address unauthorised resource use for better conserv...

Managing a home is traditionally appreciated as the role-sharing phenomenon between a man and woman with their children at some point. Over time, there has been an evolution of family structure not only here in Uganda but the rest of the world. We have seen a growing number of number of female-headed households, which was not the case in the past....

This study explores how changes in family dynamics, particularly marriage and gender roles, in the Ankole Sub-region are influenced by women's economic empowerment, specifically through their access and control over productive resources/assets. By examining these dimensions, the study aims to understand how women's roles as co-providers affect fami...

This paper presents and interprets key parameters within Revenue Sharing policy implementation framework and links them to people's livelihood improvement and conservation. This study creates a linkage between equitable distribution of Revenue Sharing projects, people's livelihood improvement and conservation support. The paper further presents the...

Participatory decision-making has been extensively adopted worldwide as an essential mechanism and a good governance principle to reach a consensus in natural resource management. However, in most communities, local people who depend on forests are not involved in the decision-making process regarding conserving protected areas. This research asses...

Wholesale businesses globally face operational challenges that necessitate adopting new mechanisms, especially in buying strategies. Purchasing consortiums, particularly among wholesale traders, are presented in existing literature as a promising avenue for traders to enhance the quality and value of their services. Consortium members can negotiate...

Participatory decision-making has been extensively adopted worldwide as an essential mechanism and a good governance principle to reach a consensus in natural resource management. However, in most communities, local people who depend on forests are not involved in the decision-making process regarding conserving protected areas. This research asses...

This WCPA issues paper provides an overview of the equitable governance element of Target 3 of the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) agreed at COP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity in December 2022, and strategies that could deliver real progress on this key element of what is also known as the “30x30” target. Advancing...

Background: East Africa experienced its NGOs boom a decade later, starting in the 1990s. Kenya, for example, experienced a rapid increase in registered NGOs, from 400 in 1990 to over 6,000 in 2008. Likewise, in Tanzania, the 41 registered NGOs in 1990 had increased to more than 10,000 by 2000. In some countries, such as Uganda, the NGO sector is vi...

It is generally accepted that equitable benefits sharing from protected areas (PAs) is a probable technique for both sustainable management and PA conservation. Evidence however, suggests that this might not be entirely true since such benefits might not be equitably shared among local communities as they would have wished. This research compares b...

It is generally accepted that equitable benefits sharing from protected areas (PAs) is a probable technique for both sustainable management and PA conservation. Evidence however, suggests that this might not be entirely true since such benefits might not be equitably shared among local communities as they would have wished. This research compares b...

Salary is a fundamental ingredient that plays a crucial role on employees" job performance in an organisation. It was important to undertake this study to examine whether salary differentiation influences employees job performance in the DE concentrated units of the Ministry of Water and Environment in Uganda. The study adopted a descriptive survey...

Background: East Africa experienced its NGOs boom a decade later, starting in the 1990s. Kenya, for example, experienced a rapid increase in registered NGOs, from 400 in 1990 to over 6,000 in 2008. Likewise, in Tanzania, the 41 registered NGOs in 1990 had increased to more than 10,000 by 2000. In some countries, such as Uganda, the NGO sector is vi...

Recognition and respect for tenure and forest resource rights has long been considered essential for policy makers in order to promote forest conservation, and several initiatives have been undertaken to promote recognition and respect for such rights. One such initiative was the introduction of Collaborative Forest Management (CFM) in Echuya Centr...

Equity and governance are vital in facilitating sustainable biodiversity conservation as alternative approaches to integrated conservation and development. However, they have not always been prioritised by protected area managers and policy implementers in various interventions. A qualitative assessment was undertaken to explore the positioning of...

Purpose: Determining the utilisation of biodegradable solid waste in boosting crop productivity among farmers in Mbarara City. Methodology: Mixed methods were used with simple random sampling and purposive sampling to obtain 111 and 31 respondents respectively - altogether constituting 142 respondents. Data was collected from the respondents using...

This study employed a case study design using phenomenological stances of qualitative research to collect data from three districts of Mbarara, Bushenyi and Kiruhura and the objective of the study was to find out how women's entrance in formal employment has contributed to changes in marriage and gender roles. Drawing from 17 interviews (with women...

More information For more information about this report or the project, visit: www.iied.org/local-economic-development-through-gorilla-tourism or contact Dilys Roe, dilys.roe@iied.org. IIED is a policy and action research organisation. We promote sustainable development to improve livelihoods and protect the environments on which these livelihoods...

Since 1994, Bwindi Mgahinga Conservation Trust (BMCT) has been working around Bwindi Mgahinga Conservation Area (BMCA) with the local communities and other organizations and institutions including Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) to improve on the ecosystem condition and integrity of the protected areas. The time BMCT has been in existence and the e...

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one of the prime protected areas in Uganda, famous for its mountain gorilla families that have been habituated to allow gorilla tracking safaris. A revenue sharing (RS) scheme was established in 1995 through which 20 per cent of the park’s revenue was shared with park-adjacent communities. The objective of reven...

Uganda has extensive protected areas and iconic wildlife (including mountain gorillas), which exist within a complex social and political environment. In recent years Uganda has been seen as a test bed and model case study for numerous and varied approaches to address complex and connected conservation and development challenges. This volume review...

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one of the prime protected areas in Uganda, famous for its mountain gorilla families that have been habituated to allow gorilla tracking safaris. A revenue sharing (RS) scheme was established in 1995 through which 20 per cent of the park’s revenue was shared with park-adjacent communities. The objective of reven...

This is the overall research framework designed for the local economic development through pro-poor gorilla tourism in Uganda.

‘Local economic development can be achieved through pro-poor gorilla tourism in Uganda. This research is part of a three year project funded by the UK government's Darwin Initiative. The aim of the project is to work with local people and established tour operators to develop and test new ‘pro-poor’ tourism products and services around Bwindi Impen...

Bringing together some of the world’s leading thinkers and policy experts in the area of natural resource governance and management in Africa, this volume addresses the most critical policy issues affecting the continent’s ability to manage and govern its precious resources. The narrative of the book is solutions-driven, as experts weigh on specifi...

Details of the survey methods, including how ethical issues were addressed, the UTC (Appendix S1), and of socioeconomic variables, UCT models, and saliences of all motivations and deterrents (Appendix S2) are available online. The authors are solely responsible for the content and functionality of these materials. Queries (other than absence of the...

Water quantity, quality and use in the Greater Virunga Landscape

Unauthorized use of natural resources is a key threat to many protected areas. Approaches to reducing this threat include law enforcement and integrated conservation and development (ICD) projects, but for such ICDs to be targeted effectively, it is important to understand who is illegally using which natural resources and why. The nature of unauth...

The report presents key basic findings from an interaction with revenue sharing beneficiaries at Bwindi to understand how equity can be established through local capacity building and better targeted interventions. We used community based monitoring methodology where selected and trained community based monitors conducted interviews and community d...

This paper establishes the importance of good governance in improving local livelihoods and support for conservation. The study uses empirical realities from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, an afromontane Gorilla sanctuary that was recognized by UNESCO in 2005 as a world heritage due to its rich biodiversity. Governance is an important procedura...

This paper establishes the importance of good governance in improving local livelihoods and support for conservation. The study uses empirical realities from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, an afromontane Gorilla sanctuary that was recognized by UNESCO in 2005 as a world heritage due to its rich biodiversity. Governance is an important procedura...

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, southwest Uganda, is home to around half the world’s population of critically endangered Mountain gorilla and is situated in one of the poorest and most densely populated regions of Africa. Integrated Conservation and Development (ICD) initiatives have been promoted as a way of protecting the park while also i...

Biodiversity conservation that contributes towards poverty alleviation is a priority under the 2011–2020 Strategic Plan for the Convention for Biological Diversity (CBD). Protected areas are important for CBD signatories to deliver this objective and the 10th Conference of Parties encouraged members to ‘support initiatives on the role of protected...

The study looked at an invisible hand in land grabbing in Uganda. It covered large scale land appropriation in central and Bunyoro region in places of Sembabule, Mubende and Bulisa. Key focus was put on link between large scale appropriation of land and its implication to rural development and international cooperation. The study investigated the p...

The study concerns the interface of resource based conflicts and their impact on pastoral livelihood with reference to the Basongora pastoral community who have been at the centre of land conflicts as they claim ancestral rights to ownership of Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP)and other neighboring pasturelands. This conflict has not only affect...

Gaining the support of local communities for conservation and resolving local conflict issues are priorities for managers of national parks. Conflict can be defined as the expression of divergent interests between resource-poor households neighbouring a national park and the national and international actors concerned with conservation of biologica...

The study concerns the rights of the minorities amidst development policy interventions, a case of Basongora pastoralists who were at the centre of land conflicts as they claimed ancestral rights to ownership of Queen Elizabeth National Park and other neighboring pasturelands. The study identified the root cause of conflicts in the area, ascertaine...