Winston Churchill famously described the forests of Uganda in his book My African Journey as the most luxurious he’d ever visited; “… birds are as bright as butterflies; butterflies are as big as birds… the air hums with flying creatures; the earth crawls beneath your foot”.
Lake Bunyonyi Background
Lake Bunyonyi covers nearly 175 square km of southwestern Uganda near the Rwandan border at an altitude of 1,962 m, home to 29 islands, and surrounded by mountains on all sides.
The mean annual rainfall of the Lake Bunyonyi region is 34 inches.
Surrounded by areas of densely cultivated hilltops and valleys, including streambanks and lower terrace boundaries, growing the major crops of potato, beans, maize, sorghum, barley, and wheat.
The true depth of the lake remains unknown, with some areas measured to a depth of 44m, while others are rumored to reach 900m.
Believed to be the 2nd deepest lake in Africa.
Known as The Place of Many Little Birds, Lake Bunyonyi is a popular bird-watching location, supporting over 200 native bird species.
The central 29 islands are frequented by tourists year round, and the Bakiga and Batwa tribes live in the Bufka village on the lake.
The lake is located between Kisoro and Kabale districts, both economically reliant revenue generated from visitors to the region.
The Kabale and Rubanda districts within the Lake Bunyonyi catchment are also home to some of Uganda’s last surviving Batwa communities, 90% of whom are landless.
The original indigenous people of this region, the Batwa experience some of the highest levels of poverty in Uganda.
Discrimination and social exclusion restrict their access to already scarce job opportunities.
The wetlands of Lake Bunyonyi are a further barrier to inclusion, with 75% of arable land held under ‘customary tenure’.
Women, young people, and the Batwa have been excluded from accessing resources and extension support, pushing subsistence agriculture deeper into previously undeveloped areas.
The stunning environment around one of Africa’s deepest and most beautiful lakes has made life more difficult for locals, as the region struggles to strike a balance between the needs for economic growth and the desire to conserve the natural habitat.
Ramsar Background
The Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty adopted on February 2nd, 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar (Ramsar Convention) signed by representatives of 18 nations.
The Ramsar Convention was the first modern policy mechanism seeking to conserve natural resources on a global scale.
Today, the Ramsar Convention is a fully operational organization with a well-staffed secretariat, the Convention Bureau, based in Gland, Switzerland funded through the subscriptions of the Convention’s Parties.
The Ramsar Convention (RC) is the oldest international treaty for wetland and water bird conservation.
The world's largest network of protected areas.
The RC is a voluntary commitment to promote conservation and sustainable use of water-based ecosystems through international engagement and collaboration.
There are 169 member countries containing more than 2,227 Ramsar Sites totaling more than 215,000,000 hectares globally.
Achieving Ramsar designation for Lake Bunyonyi would have substantial socioeconomic and ecological impacts for both the surrounding communities and the greater region.
The Ramsar Convention has adopted a very inclusive definition for wetlands:
“…wetlands are areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres.”
Similarly, the definition of ‘wise-use’ is intentionally all-encompassing:
“…wise use of wetlands is the maintenance of their ecological character, achieved through the implementation of ecosystem approaches, within the context of sustainable development.”
The concept implies wetland conservation cannot exclude the human element, instead making anthropogenic use a supporting factor in the sustainable management of wetlands.
Applied to all wetlands and water resources and not just sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance.
This application is crucial to ensuring wetlands will continue serving their vital role in supporting biological diversity and socioeconomic security.
The Ramsar Process
A Ramsar designation is a lengthy process dependent on resource capacity - For a site to receive designation, it must meet at least 1 of 9 criteria.
To prove criterion requirements, significant supporting data is collected over extended periods of time.
Collection of data often requires 3rd party experts hired by organizational committee.
Petitioning for Ramsar designation is a collaborative effort.
Stakeholders must be engaged throughout designation plan before the site is assessed.
After assessment site must be properly managed by a committee while more data is collected.
Included in regular reviews and final petition to Ramsar convention.
One of the major reasons for conservation effort failures is a lack of, or significantly diminished, participation by local stakeholders.
The identification and selection of stakeholders is conducted on an ad hoc basis that neglects key local participants and compromises intended objectives.
Especially in multilateral environmental agreement (MEA) negotiations in the international arena like Ramsar.
The Ramsar Convention recognizes that participatory environmental management is critical to ensure the sustainable use and management of wetlands.
Ramsar recognized the need to raise public awareness about wetlands and their functions - Encourages local stewardship and created the communication, capacity building, education, participation, and awareness (CEPA) program in 1999.
The most recent program (2016–2024) incorporates cultural sensitivity by encouraging participation in wetland management of stakeholder groups with cultural, spiritual, customary, traditional, historical, and socio-economic links to wetlands.
Emphasizes implementing parties give high priority to communities dependent on wetlands for their livelihoods, and urges local communities and private sectors to participate in the management of wetlands.
Ecotourism Framework
Facilities - Accommodations as part of, and facilitator for, the visitor’s experiences of Lake Bunyonyi
Accommodation as an extension of the conservation ethos.
Service - Total experience of the guests
Anticipating, understanding, guiding, and facilitating visitor’s activities throughout their stay.
Amenities – Total environmental immersion within reach and available to guests
Balancing education, appreciation, satisfaction, and aesthetic of a locally unique, authentic, and personalized visitor experience.
Marketing – Targeting the specialty market niches of nature, adventure, culture, and education
Wilderness ethic, environmental stewardship, ecological and cultural enlightenment by highlighting the benefits and responsibilities of their stay (eco-ethnic).
Programming - On-site experiences the highlight and provide enduring off-site benefits
Interaction and education pre-, peri-, and post-vacation through interlinked activities and experiences.
Metrics of Success – Number of repeat visits, increased word of mouth and social media presence
Measurable visitor awareness and contact, increased quality of life for community and staff , increased cultural renewal and pride, diffused visitation season, quantifiable economic impacts for resort, diversified business model, and true resource conservation.
