Culture For Chimps
CCFU, with support from Arcus Foundation, is implementing the “Culture For Chimps” project with an aim of utilising community and cultural resources for the conservation of chimpanzees and their habitat in the Rwenzori and Bunyoro sub-regions.
Hinging on harnessed collaboration with state and non-state partners, the focus of the project has widened to restoring key forest patches where chimpanzees live or visit, supporting community-based organisations and cultural institutions (including the Abathangyi and Abayanja clans whose totem is the chimpanzee) to implement forest restoration, alternative livelihood sources and chimpanzee monitoring activities.
A national conservation dialogue was held to highlight community interventions for chimpanzee and forest conservation, and to launch a publication titled, ‘Conserving Chimpanzees in Uganda: Experiences using cultural and community resources’. This publication highlights insights and lessons from conservation interventions that can inform effective, context specific conservation practice in Uganda, especially for chimpanzees.
Youth involvement in Chimpanzee Conservation
To promote young people’s involvement, intergenerational dialogues are being held for young people to learn from elders on indigenous knowledge and culture-inspired practical interventions for chimpanzee conservation. To bring the youth together, we run inter-clan chimpanzee conservation football tournaments dubbed “Ekiteera Cup” in Bunyoro and “Ekibandu Cup” in Rwenzori. The youth continue to express an increasing appreciation of and commitment to chimpanzee conservation, among others, through tree growing and desisting from harming the already endangered primate. Plans are underway to have every participating clan team plant at least 120 trees, which we hope will increase forest cover that is ultimately habitat for chimpanzees and other wildlife.
Culture For Chimps – 2022 plans
In 2022, a study to understand the contribution of private forest owners in the conservation of the chimpanzee will be finalised, a national conservation dialogue held, livelihood projects alternative to forest resources supported, and other forest corridor restorations activities implemented.
Publications – CCFU’s Culture and Chimpanzee conservation projects