Kaiso Tonya road development and its effect on conservation and livelihoods

Abstract

The study assessed the influence of road development on conservation and livelihoods in Buseruka Sub- County, Hoima district. Specifically, the study was designed to: i) assess the influence of road infrastructure development on land use and land cover; ii) examine the impact of the Kaiso-Tonya Road on livelihoods; and iii) assess the impact of road access on park resources. Landsat satellite imagery for Buseruka sub-county for 2006 and 2014 and Landsat 8 OLI for 2020 were downloaded from the USGS portal (https://glovis.usgs.gov/) and analysed to detect land cover changes: i) within the subcounty and, ii) areas within five kilometers of the Kaiso-Tonya road. For the impacts of the road on livelihoods and park resources, data were collected from a sample of 248 household respondents drawn from three villages (Kaiso, Kabaale, and Kiryamboga (the control)) using a semi-structured questionnaire. Additional data was obtained from 11 key informants and six focus group discussions using an interview guide. Data was analyzed using numerical and inferential statistics to examine relationships between variables. In 2006 (before the road) land cover was such that, open water (60%), shrub land (17%), grassland (16.3%), wetlands (3.3%), and forests (2.0%) occupied the largest portion of land. Apart from open water, this had changed by 2020 (after the road) with agriculture (12.5%), shrub land (12%), Grassland (8%), and built-up areas (4%) dominating. The area within five kilometers of the road experienced drastic land use changes upon road construction. Shrub land (12%), grassland (7%) and forest cover (1.07%) declined, while agriculture (12.5%) and built up (l1%) areas drastically increased. Majority of respondents agreed that construction of the Kaiso-Tonya road has been accompanied by an increase in land under commercial production (30.6%), access to local markets (49%), accessibility to schools (74%), and hospitals (75%). Despite this contribution to community livelihood, the results also show that majority of people (92%) agree that road construction facilitated the entry of poachers into protected areas, led to loss of vegetation cover while (38%), led to destruction of habitat and wildlife breeding places (47%) and facilitated more animal kills (41%). These results imply that without proper planning, the country is likely to lose more wild animals as the result of Road construction. Given these results, it is recommended that Road development authorities need to consider the long-term effects of road developments on natural resources and design mitigation measures accordingly.