Community sensitization meetings towards Restoration of Kasaana- Nabyewanga wetland ecosystem in Lwengo District

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Kasaana- Nabyewanga wetland is in Lwengo District of South-Central Uganda. The wetland is share by two villages of Kasaana and Nabyewanga and hence the adopted name to the wetland. There are ecosystem resources obtained from this wetland such as clean water, medicine, building materials, and others are therefore shared by both the two villages. The wetland is critically important as feeding and sometimes a breeding ground for the endangered Grey Crowned cranes, a bird listed endangered on the IUCN red list of species.

Under the African Crane Conservation Program(ICF/EWT partnership projects), Our routine monitoring has revealed that several pairs exist and sometimes a flock of 6 and above cranes is found in this part of the wetland feeding on rice, insects, and others. However, this wetland is highly threatened by agriculture encroachment where rice growing, maize, and sugarcane growing are the major activities. This wetland is the only source of water for the Households here but also, communities have reported a high level of Human-Crane conflicts where many cranes have been reported to be poisoned through pesticide application. Reports gathered from the communities we met showed that some children were being employed secretly to always pick the dead carcasses of cranes for disposing of.

we conducted an engagement meeting with the two villages. The meeting aimed at;

  • sensitizing the communities about the importance of demarcating this wetland to reduce further expansion into this precious wetland. Our discussion with the local communities yielded and agreed to begin a demarcation exercise as soon as February 2021 where local indigenous tree species especially Ficus natalensis and Erythrina abyssinica were suggested.
  • Forming the Kasaana- Nabyewanga wetland Management Committee: With marginalized groups included a total of 6 individuals (2 females and 4 males) in Kasaana village and 5 individuals (2 females and 3 males) in Nabyewanga village were initiated as the committee to oversee the implementation of the demarcation boundaries (once planted) and also to regulate the activities in this wetland

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