Human-induced wetland fragmentation since the 1970s threatens the sustainability of communities’ livelihoods and has caused an 80% decline in the population of Uganda’s national bird, the Grey Crowned Crane Balearica regulorum. Using participatory approaches, the Crane and Wetland Conservation project operating in the catchments of Lake Victoria has facilitated community participation in sustainable wetland utilisation using cranes as flagship species. Project activities are guided by the draft Grey Crowned Crane Species Action Plan which recognises the need for greater involvement of local stakeholders in integrated crane and wetland conservation. The thrust is building on previous successes to scale up Wetland Management Planning and alternative livelihoods initiatives.

Objectives of the project:

• Improve local stakeholders’ understanding of wetland ecosystem functions as well as the distribution and ecology of the Grey Crowned Crane targeting schools and local communities
• Initiate alternative livelihood projects that reduce pressure on wetlands and increase the stakeholder participation in the integrated conservation of Grey Crowned Cranes and wetlands
• Engage local communities, traditional and county leaders to develop plans for the sustainable management of wetlands that support livelihood activities and also are used by cranes for breeding and feeding
• Develop grassroots capacity to tackle direct threats to cranes and wetlands

Project Achievements - Highlights

• Improved fledging of young cranes on breeding sites. The combined force of the crane custodians (crane adoption groups), crane monitors,  school environment clubs and project awareness teams has seen the improvement of fledging success from 1.2 in 2007 and before to 1.7 in 2010/ 11. It is hoped that the improved recruitment of the young into adulthood if maintained for while will halt and or reverse the plumetting population trend (table 1 below) 

Table 1 Summary breeding records 2007 – 2011

In the figure above, Jimmy and Yorokamu (a crane custodian) rescue captured crane chicks at Mutara in Feb 2011

• An Awareness strategy has been designed and campaigns on the importance of cranes and wetlands conducted for local communities through church masses, formal and informal meetings, mass media (local FM radio stations and new papers) and through art and craft by local communities and school environement clubs.
  
• Formulation of the Kaku wetland management Plan (draft) and implementation of the Nyamuriro wetland management plan has defined wetland resource user rights. Communities are now aware of their user rights, though the wetland management plan is yet to be completed.
  
• Conflict resolution – the communities hitherto engaged in resource use related conflicts with policy implementers have become cooperative and responsible. The physical fights, cold wars and stand offs; hirtherto the order of the day especially in Kabale district are gradually becoming issues of the past.
• Wetland demarcation and restoration: Nyamuriro wetland in Kabale which hitherto had been ripped of its glory through degradation is gradually taking shape through the project initiated restoration programmes. While in 2008 about 1 km² had been replanted with paprus, the extent reaches over 50 km² todate. Surprisingly, the very community members that descended on the wetland to decimate it in the 1990s are the very communites that have are activiely involved in replanting it – indicator for behaviour change
• Initially lost wetland glory is gradually returning as a result of wetland restoration programmes – hence headlots of papyrus reeds for fuel are ferried from the restoring part of the Nyamuriro wetland. Women who had resorted to using couch grass rhizhomes as cooking fuel can now access the papyrus reeds easily and quickily (fig 2 below). Furthermore, water collection points that had gone without water for larger part of 2007 are reportedly gradually filling with water while muddy waters flooding the Nyamuriro wetland are no more as a result of water and soil conservation mechanisms code named “fanya juu – fanya chini”  initiated on hill sides.
• An eco tourism plan including Nyamuriro wetland (an IBA) on the conventional tourism plan for the region has been drafted. A copy is to be submitted to the Kabale local government for approval and or adoption
• A survey on crane – human conflict / powerline collisions and recommendations thereof was conducted and a report produced.
• Alternative livelihood options demonstrated are gradually reversing wetland dependence and contributing to poverty alleviation – Bushenyi communities now have over 450 goats from an initial start up stock of 110 . A goat is worth £ 34. Fecundity of goats is very high with most of them reproducing every year and majority delivering twins when well cared for. Moreover, goat keeping being a government priority under the NAADS programme, two of the groups in Bushenyi have benefited from the programme hence embracing it as the main income generating activity. In Lwengo (Masaka) district where pig keeping is a lucrative venture and communities have the option of either reaping from sale of mature pig sales or sale of piglets 15 farmers have embraced pig keeping and have attracted the helping had of the NAADS programe. A two month old piglet is sold at £9 and a pig delivers twice a year with an average of 10 piglets each time. A mature pig on other hand is sold at £114.