Conservation Stakeholders Appreciate the Need for Cleaning Nkuringo Buffer Zone | International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP)International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP)

“The biggest challenge at hand is plastic management and waste disposal. Our people use a lot of plastics especially water bottles and polyethene bags, which they just throw away, and, when it rains all these are washed into the buffer zone, “said Athanase Kajubwami, Mayor of Nkuringo Town Council.

The mayor made these remarks on 24^th June at a workshop organized by IGCP about Nkuringo Buffer Zone cleaning. The workshop aimed at raising awareness about the challenge of waste disposal management and its impact on park-edge communities.

At the meeting participants noted that insufficient pit latrines in the buffer zone and the surrounding community, which exposes both mountain gorillas and humans to disease is another big challenge.

“The buffer zone is a lifeline for both the gorillas and the park – edge communities. The five mountain gorilla groups we have in Nkuringo spend 80% of their time in the inner buffer zone. Community livelihoods also depend on tea grown in the buffer zone, so we need to always keep it extremely clean” said Mr. Dickson Katana, the Warden in-charge for Nkuringo, Tourism Sector.

The meeting helped in creating understanding on the concept of one health among the park edge participants and also laid down strategies for collaboratively safeguarding the mountain gorilla habitat and the buffer zone against the dangers of waste disposal that affect ecosystem health and its functionality including sensitizing the park-edge communities on proper waste disposal and management.