Resource Use and Ecosystem Services in a Forest Park Landscape

Dependence upon forest fragments and wetlands by local people outside Kibale National Park in western Uganda illustrates the challenge for rural communities in meeting resource needs, while also controlling overuse and degradation. Using a new geographically stratified, random sampling technique to select study sites, 130 households outside Kibale were interviewed to understand how local uses (e.g., firewood, water) and importance of such fragments (e.g., ecosystem services) depend on household location, size of fragment, and demographic characteristics. While a large majority of households derived material benefits from both wetland and forest fragments, only a minority perceived fragments as providing ecosystem services. Households that derived benefits from fragments tended to live farther from the park, though benefits were largely unrelated to the size of the nearest fragment. An understanding of the importance of these areas is critical for conservationists and park managers when developing cooperative management agreements or outreach programs.