Settlement in forest reserves, game reserves and national parks in Uganda : a study of social, economic and tenure factors affecting land use and deforestation in Mabira Forest Reserve, Kibale Forest Reserve and Kibale Game Reserve/Corridor

About 60,000 settlers dwell in Kibale reserve areas, most of them in the Game/Reserve Corridor, large-scale settlement of which began in the late 1950"s. Virtually the entire Corridor has been claimed for agricultural purposes under customary tenure arrangements, until recently with little or no official resistance. Settlement in the Mabira Forest Reserve did not begin until the mid-1970"s, mainly as the result of the government"s "double production" and "freedom to settle anywhere" policies. The first eviction of settlers from the Mabira Forest Reserve in September, 1988, signaled the current desire of the government to return the country"s affected areas to their original uses. However, given the history of settlement in the area, the high social costs of eviction, and the suitability of the land for farming, the report recommends that the Kibale Game Reserve/Corridor be publicly declared as no longer a reserve area, and those already settled there granted permanent residence. The 5,000 people in the Kibale Forest Reserve should be relocated to the Game Reserve/Corridor, which possesses surplus land for farming purposes. Settlers in the Mabira Forest Reserve, an important national asset, should be required to leave - diplomatically, with areas of resettlement identified. Action on Uganda"s remaining reserve and park areas should be taken on a case-by-case basis. The underlying causes of encroachment also need to addressed.