SHOEBILL CONSERVATION AT MABAMBA-BUSI ISLANDS;
IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS

The Shoebill Conservation Project.
Objectives of the Project.
About Mabamba

The Project
Mabamba Bay and Busi islands were identified as important bird areas (IBAs) in Uganda by Nature Uganda, a local NGO with the support of other development partners. This intervention has progressively turned the Mabamba Bay into a tourist destination. Despite these interventions, shoebills have and other bird and animal species continue to be threatened due to lack of consistent and intensive conservation programmes. Although there have been an increase in the number of tourists to the Bay, there hasn’t been any deliberate attempts to turn the place into a well-organized tourist destination. For instance there were no reliable toilets, restaurants, shelter in case of heavy rainfall and sunshine, trained local guides and accommodation facilities. The increasing number of tourists is likely to be reversed due to the poor nature of such supporting facilities at the site.

SCORE Uganda a local NGO in partnership with Shoebill Safaris a local private company approached the Netherlands Committee of IUCN for a small fund to develop some of the tourist facilities and also raise the profile of Mabamba Bay on realizing that there was a possible reversal of the achievements so far. This Conservation project is intended to make Mabamba Bay known in Uganda and beyond. The project is code named the Shoebill Conservation at Mabamba- Busi islands: An Important Bird Area.