In western Uganda, wild chimpanzees are found in both unprotected and protected habitats. The Bulindi Chimpanzee & Community Project (BCCP) is dedicated to conserving chimpanzees where they live alongside village farming communities, outside formally protected areas. The largest population of ‘village chimpanzees’ occurs in a region known as the ‘Budongo–Bugoma Corridor’ (so-called as it lies between two main protected areas, the Budongo and Bugoma forests).
Here, about 300 chimpanzees survive in shrinking patches of forest amidst a fast-changing landscape dominated by farmland, villages, expanding infrastructure, and urban development. These endangered great apes have considerable conservation value but are severely threatened by habitat loss and human–wildlife conflicts.
Read MoreThe project was established in response to the urgent conservation situation facing wild chimpanzees regionally. Our approach recognises that sustainable coexistence between people and chimpanzees is possible only by enhancing the lives of local people substantially.
We support communities living in chimpanzee habitat zones through various integrated conservation and development benefits that address people’s priorities, in parallel with the conservation of chimpanzees and their habitat.
Our long-term interventions include chimpanzee research and monitoring; tree planting; coffee and cocoa agroforestry; conservation of privately owned natural forest; sponsorship of school children; community and school outreach; human–wildlife conflict mitigation; provision of water wells and energy-efficient cookstoves; sponsorship of village-savings loan associations; and community sports events.
Read MoreThe project has its origins in research into the chimpanzee–human interface initiated by Dr Matt McLennan, including a long-term study of the chimpanzee population at Bulindi, started in 2006. Research at Bulindi has generated a series of scientific articles about the behaviour and ecology of these chimpanzees and their relationship with people in this exemplar of a human-dominated landscape.
Use the link below to visit our page that provides a list of published articles about the chimpanzees of Bulindi, as well as articles concerning the broader population of ‘village chimpanzees’ elsewhere in the Budongo–Bugoma Corridor.
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