NGOs and small projects can indeed be very good, as for example in the case of the
work done by BFP thanks to funding by NGS or JGI and other NGOs.
The weak link at present is between these NGOs and the projects they support on the
one hand, and the Ugandan governmental and parastatal agencies on the other. In my opin-
ion properly organized chimpanzee protection will not happen in Uganda until projects
and NGOs work hand in hand with these agencies. At present there seems to be an
atmosphere of mutual distrust and suspicion between the two, yet they ought to be
working together as partners. This distrust is wholly unnecessary. FD regarded BFP
with suspicion all through the 1990s; indeed, some members of FD wished we were
not there.^98 We tried our hardest to work with FD but largely failed. Fortunately those
days are now over and we are working with NFA at all levels, and we now have
a research agreement with them. Such agreements can provide the basis forcollabora-
tion, shared goals and shared discussion of the means of achieving them.
Action Plan
At the time of writing, the most recent initiative for chimpanzee conservation is
the national action plan for chimpanzee conservation: ‘Conservation for Uganda’s
Chimpanzees 2003–2008’ (Uganda Wildlife Authority 2003). This gives the number of
chimpanzees in Budongo Forest Reserve as 639 (95% confidence limits 392–796) out
of a total population for Uganda of 4950 (95% confidence limits 4000–5700). Analysis
of satellite imagery between the mid-1980s and 2000/2001 shows that approximately
800 km^2 of forest has been lost in chimpanzee habitat areas, almost twice the area of
Budongo Forest. Most of this loss has occurred outside of protected areas, i.e. on com-
munal or private land, but the loss to chimpanzees is huge and must make their move-
ments across country, on which (outside the forests) they depend for survival, much
more hazardous than ever before.
This Action Plan embodies a bold Vision, a five-year set of objectives, as follows:
● Reduced fragmentation of habitat
● Reduced conflict between local communities and chimpanzees
● Promotion of awareness of chimpanzees
● Reduction of human-caused deaths and injuries
● Improved corporate responsibility
● Minimized potential spread of disease
Each of these objectives is described and the actions needed to achieve it are listed,
together with indicators of success. The key stakeholders, including BFP, and the potential
funding agencies for achieving these objectives are listed. This is indeed a thoroughly
240 The future of Budongo’s chimpanzees
(^98) I was told by a senior member of FD in 1993 that we should not have built our camp in the forest.