With the Help of Outside Money, Locals and Apes Have Finally Reached an Agreement

In Uganda the conflict between apes and humans is one that causes one species to win at the cost of the other, and the loser is almost always the apes.  Recently, however, farmers in Kyamalera have learned to coexist with our closest relatives.  Apes, which used to be thought of as a commodity for bushmeat and the pet trade, are no longer just thought of as a source for poaching.  The tourism trade has bolstered the local economy by enabling locals to sell crafts and locally grown goods to the influx of outsiders with money.  The Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust has given these farmers start up money to begin making crafts to sell instead of poaching as a means of subsistence.  In Hoima where most of the forests are privately owned, organizations such as the Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust have been giving money to 84 different private owners of the forests to provide them with an alternative means of survival that does not require encroachment into the forest.

A dead chimpanzee lying on the forest floor.

An example of local crafts that can be found in Uganda.  With the influx of support, local farmers are able to sell goods such as these rather than poaching the great apes.

A bushmeat market where most poached animals are sold so that local citizens can survive.

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