What happens when a country has too many people and not enough land? This is not just a hypothetical problem in many parts of east Africa, where population growth rates are some of the fastest in the world. And the results can be catastrophic when politics and ethnic divisions are mixed in, as the world saw in Rwanda. We were sent a link to the recent National Geographic Article, “Rift in Paradise” and although most of the article focuses on problems in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, many of the same underlying tensions are evident here in Uganda. Since part of our project here involves doing some mapping of properties around the Park, it has become apparent to us (and to our field assistants) how many of the properties have
been divided up amongst children or sold off for expenses. Many farms in our area have been split, some multiple times, in the last twenty years, and most have multiple families relying on the pieces for all of their food and income. Unlike Peru, the communities around us cannot even spare land for public buildings or a public soccer field (except for the one a few miles away, where the huge tea estate has provided one for its resident workers). We wouldn’t be surprised to hear a
similar sentiment to the one in the article: "The creation of this national park has made us so poor! People have to live on the land!" Of course, if there weren’t legally sanctioned (and enforced) parks, there is no indication that people wouldn’t just move in, clear the forest for crops, and fill up the rest of the landscape. But that is a hard argument to make to a family that has lots of hungry mouths to feed.
been divided up amongst children or sold off for expenses. Many farms in our area have been split, some multiple times, in the last twenty years, and most have multiple families relying on the pieces for all of their food and income. Unlike Peru, the communities around us cannot even spare land for public buildings or a public soccer field (except for the one a few miles away, where the huge tea estate has provided one for its resident workers). We wouldn’t be surprised to hear a
similar sentiment to the one in the article: "The creation of this national park has made us so poor! People have to live on the land!" Of course, if there weren’t legally sanctioned (and enforced) parks, there is no indication that people wouldn’t just move in, clear the forest for crops, and fill up the rest of the landscape. But that is a hard argument to make to a family that has lots of hungry mouths to feed.