CONSERVATION INTERESTS

Through our role as faculty at McGill University, Honourary lecturers at Makerere University, and as Research Associates of the Wildlife Conservation Society, we are actively involved in a number of conservation efforts.  Some of these efforts are academic in nature (see Research Interests) and are designed to provide managers, particularly the Ugandan Wildlife Authority, with the information needed to construct informed conservation plans, while others involve training or are strictly applied.  Given the plight of tropical forest and aquatic ecosystems and the animals they support, much of our energy is directed towards conservation-oriented efforts.  Activities we are currently engaged in include:

          1)  Establishing linkages among the Ugandan Fisheries Resource Research Institute, Makerere University, and academic institutions to promote training in “Conservation Science”.
          2)  Training of Ugandan students in the needed tools, academic skills, and knowledge to address conservation issues in Uganda.
          3)  Working with Ugandan Fisheries Resources Research Institute to predict future changes in the Lake Victoria System.
          4)  Exploring tropical forest restoration to provide managers with the information to restore degraded tropical forests and the animal populations that they could support.
          5)  Working with media groups around the world to increase awareness about the conservation of tropical ecosystems.  
          6)  Establishing and evaluating a Health Centre, and hopefully soon a mobile health centre to improve the health and knowledge of the local community and to improve parks-people interactions.