INTRODUCTION
Agricultural land occupies approximately 38% of the planet's land surface
and the spread and intensification of agriculture are recognised as two
of the most important global threats to wildlife.
Farming in Uganda in undergoing a massive series of changes. One of the main
pillars of the Ugandan governments commitment to eradicate poverty is
to modernize farming by improving crop husbandry and increasing farmer
access to suitable markets. These changes will inevitably impact on
biodiversity.
In April 2005, BTO was awarded a
grant by the Darwin Initiative to investigate this problem, determine
how the changes in farming will impact on birds, invertebrates and/or
plants and devise methods of mitigating some of these negative effects.
THE PROJECT
This four-year project formally ended in 2009, although
many of the results are still being worked on. The project
was
carried out in the banana-coffee arc around Lake Victoria. The aim was to identify
a series
of
best
practices
for sustainable
agricultural development
that benefit both biodiversity and farmer. This wide-ranging project had major
research, capacity building and dissemination aspects.
The final report is currently being reviewed and will
be available once comments have been received and acted on. For further
information, please contact Phil Atkinson here
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LATEST
NEWS
September 2009: Thesis submitted!
In September 2009, Dianah Nalwanga submitted her PhD thesis 'Conservation
of biodiversity on farmlands in Uganda: using birds as indicators',
after four
years of hard
work. She is now working on three papers to be submitted to international journals.
Congratulations Dianah!
August 2009: New Policy Brief
The policy brief that was requested by the Ugandan Government
was produced. This is an interim version as the work from the PhD students
was still being worked on. Once the entomological PhD student has submitted
(31 October 2009) funding will be sought to update the brief with these
results. It can be downloaded here
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