Browsing by Author "Ssegawa, Paul"
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Item Agrobiodiversity of homegardens in a commercial sugarcane cultivation land matrix in Uganda(International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management, 2016) Mwavu, Edward N.; Ariango, Esther; Ssegawa, Paul; Kalema, Vettes N.; Bateganya, Fred; Waiswa, Daniel; Byakagaba, PatrickABSTRACT Understanding biodiversity in homegardens embedded in landscapes dominated by commercial monoculture agriculture is critical for sustainable management of agrobiodiversity and meeting rural households’ needs in the face of global changes. We assessed agrobiodiversity in the 120 homegardens and its contribution to rural household livelihood strategies within a commercial monoculture sugarcane cultivation land matrix in eastern Uganda. We recorded a total of 68 plant species from 46 genera representing 27 families. Species richness spanned 6 to 19 species, and α-diversity (H’) ranged from 0.6 to 2.3; with 86.67% of the homegardens having H’ >1. Species composition differed significantly (global RANOSIM = 0.153, p < 0.001) among the villages. The most important and commonly maintained plants were those that provided food, fuelwood and money income and included Zea mays L., Manihot esculenta, Phaesolus spp., Coffea sp., Musa spp., Ipomea batatus and Artocarpus heterophyllus. Most of the crops cited as useful by households were also frequent and visible in many of the homegardens. Although homegardens still hold some valuable plants, there is also loss of important plants from the agricultural system including cowpeas, soya beans, bambara groundnuts, finger millet, cotton, aerial yams and oysternut essential for sustaining household livelihoods. This loss, precipitated by increased land-use/cover change to commercial sugarcane plantations threatens agrobiodiversity conservation and the benefits households derive from homegardens. Our findings underline the importance of homegardens in the conservation of indigenous agrobiodiversity, and indicate that with the continued expansion of commercial sugarcane cultivation this opportunity may be lost.Item Application of Factor and Cluster Analyses in the Assessment of Sources of Contaminants in Borehole Water in Tanzania(Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 2013) Basamba, Twaha A.; Sekabira, Kassim; Kayombo, C. Mary; Ssegawa, PaulOur study assesses the quality of water in Dar es Salaam city, Tanzania. Borehole water samples collected were analyzed for physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of the underground water. All functional boreholes in the study area were sampled. Pearson correlation coefficient was employed to establish the interaction of the physicochemical characteristics in the underground water. Factor analysis and cluster analysis were employed to determine source apportionment of contaminants in underground water. Results showed that calcium was significantly correlated with electrical conductivity (r=0.624), total dissolved solids (r=0.627), and total hardness (r=0.881) for underground water sources. Calcium concentration is attributed to anthropogenic activities, terrigenous influx in run-off, and/or natural processes within the aquifers. Faecal coliform counts exceeded the World Health Organization maximum permissible limit of 0/100ml at 44ºC at Shauri Moyo and Kigogo Primary School and, therefore, the water was contaminated; the rest of the boreholes were safe. Factor analysis revealed three sources of pollutants in the underground water: (1) mixed origin of human wastes and soil in runoff (2) dual origin of turbidity (human wastes and soil/organic matter) (3) natural/geochemical processes in aquifers. In conclusion, water hardness is controlled by calcium and faecal contamination is attributed to entry of sewage (human wastes) and organic matter into underground water. There is a need for water to be treated/ filtered and/or boiled before consumption.Item Biodiversity Monitoring in Uganda: assessment of Monitoring Programs Report(NatureUganda, 2008) Eilu, Gerald; Ssegawa, Paul; Olanya, ConcyCountries that are party to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), including Uganda, are obliged to monitor biodiversity (Article 7.b) but many have yet to establish national monitoring programmes. Many animal and plant species have declined in numbers, geographical spread, or both but quantitative monitoring data are not readily available. Human activity has increased the extinction rate of species worldwide by at least 100 times compared to the natural rate. The main factors directly driving biodiversity loss include, but are not limited to, habitat loss, fragmentation of forests, invasive alien species, overexploitation, pollution and climate change. Biodiversity monitoring data coupled with other environmental data form an important basis for future nature conservation policy and for other policy areas that have a significant impact on biodiversity for example; forestry, agriculture, and wildlife. Biodiversity monitoring can be used to identify negative and positive impacts on biodiversity at an early stage and trigger appropriate action. Distinguishing natural fluctuations from abnormal changes and identifying cause-andeffect relationships between external factors and changes in biodiversity is an important outcome of monitoring. The unique global status of Uganda in terms of biodiversity necessitates that it is properly managed to prevent unprecedented losses. Uganda has a unique occurrence and distribution of biodiversity, attributed to the country’s location within the equatorial belt and the associated physical and climatic features as well as overlap of phytochoria. In Uganda, however, approximately 200 species of plants and animals are red-listed meaning that they are species of global importance for conservation and deserve special attention. However, Uganda lacks a biodiversity monitoring framework through which activities related to biodiversity can be harmonized, and information/data shared to prevent duplication and wastage of scarce resources. Uganda is also obliged to align its biodiversity management goals alongside the 2010 Biodiversity Target and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) particularly Goal 7. The CBD recognizes that national participation towards meeting the 2010 Target must be informed and driven by national priorities, but these are unclear for Uganda.Item The biodiversity of the Albertine Rift(Biological conservation, 2007) Plumptre, Andrew J.; Davenport, Tim R.B.; Behangana, Mathias; Kityo, Robert; Eilu, Gerald; Ssegawa, Paul; Ewango, Corneille; Meirte, Danny; Kahindo, Charles; Herremans, Marc; Peterhans, Julian Kerbis; Pilgrim, John D.; Wilson, Malcolm; Languy, Marc; Moyer, DavidThe Albertine Rift is one of the most important regions for conservation in Africa. It contains more vertebrate species than any other region on the continent and contains more endemic species of vertebrate than any other region on mainland Africa. This paper compiles all currently known species distribution information for plants, endemic butterfly species and four vertebrate taxa from the Albertine Rift. The literature on fish species richness and endemism is also reviewed to assess the importance of the larger lakes in the Rift for conservation. We use data from 38 protected and unprotected areas to prioritise sites within the Albertine Rift for conservation based upon their numbers of endemic and globally threatened species. Virunga and Kahuzi Biega National Parks and Itombwe Massif in Democratic Republic of Congo, Bwindi Impenetrable and Kibale National Parks in Uganda, and Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda rank highest in terms of numbers of both endemic and globally threatened species. Six conservation landscapes are described that include most of these sites and it is argued that a focus on these landscapes may be a more holistic method to ensure the safety of the priority areas of the Albertine Rift.Item The biodiversity of the Albertine Rift(Biological conservation, 2007) Plumptre, Andrew J.; Davenport, Tim R.B.; Behangana, Mathias; Kityo, Robert; Eilu, Gerald; Ssegawa, Paul; Ewango, Corneille; Meirte, Danny; Kahindo, Charles; Herremans, Marc; Kerbis Peterhans, Julian; Pilgrim, John D.; Wilson, Malcolm; Languy, Marc; Moyer, DavidThe Albertine Rift is one of the most important regions for conservation in Africa. It contains more vertebrate species than any other region on the continent and contains more endemic species of vertebrate than any other region on mainland Africa. This paper compiles all currently known species distribution information for plants, endemic butterfly species and four vertebrate taxa from the Albertine Rift. The literature on fish species richness and endemism is also reviewed to assess the importance of the larger lakes in the Rift for conservation. We use data from 38 protected and unprotected areas to prioritise sites within the Albertine Rift for conservation based upon their numbers of endemic and globally threatened species. Virunga and Kahuzi Biega National Parks and Itombwe Massif in Democratic Republic of Congo, Bwindi Impenetrable and Kibale National Parks in Uganda, and Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda rank highest in terms of numbers of both endemic and globally threatened species. Six conservation landscapes are described that include most of these sites and it is argued that a focus on these landscapes may be a more holistic method to ensure the safety of the priority areas of the Albertine Rift.Item Distinguishing Forest Tree Communities In Kibale National Park, Western Uganda Using Ordination And Classification Methods(African Journal of Ecology, 2007) Mucunguzi, Patrick; Kasenene, John; Midgley, Jeremy; Ssegawa, Paul; Tabuti, John R. S.A study of spatial variation in tree community structure and species composition in the Kibale National Park, western Uganda was conducted. Tree communities were compared at five sites namely K-14, K-15 and K-30 at Kanyawara in the north, Ngogo in the central part of the forest and Mainaro in the southern part. All trees ≥10-cm diameter at breast height were censused along belt transects covering a total of 15 ha in all sites. Cluster analysis and principal component analysis were used to identify forest tree communities and species associations. Using cluster analysis, two species assemblages emerged: the Mainaro, Ngogo and K-15 cluster and the K-30 and K-14 cluster. Principal component analysis revealed the descriptive species for the northern and southern sites.Item Diversity of vascular plants on Ssese islands in Lake Victoria, central Uganda(African Journal of Ecology, 2004) Ssegawa, Paul; Nkuutu, David N.Diversity and distribution of trees [‡5 cm diameter at breast height (dbh)], shrubs and herbs was assessed in thirty 0.05-ha (10 · 50 m) plots of a tropical high forest in the Ssese islands of Lake Victoria, central Uganda. The aim was to determine the floristic richness and composition of the forests. We recorded 179 species belonging to 70 families and 146 genera. Of these, nine families had five species or more. Rubiaceae was the richest with fourteen species followed by Euphorbiaceae (thirteen), Apocynaceae (ten) and Moraceae (nine). The majority of the families (35) were represented by one species each. Fifty-eight herbaceous species, 39 lianas, ten shrubs and 72 species of trees were recorded. The commonest species recorded in the forest included: Uapaca guineensis Mull. Arg., Tabernaemontana pachysiphon Stapf., and Aframomum luteoalbum (K Schum.) K. Schum. Among the rare species encountered were Ficus densistipulata De Willd., Englerophytum oblanceolatum (S. Moore) Pennington, and Afromomum zambeziacum (Bak.) K. Schum. The present study has shown that the Ssese islands are floristically rich in species and compare well with other mainland forests. Species richness, rarity and uniqueness of habitats can be considered as approaches in the prioritization of conservation sites within the fragmented forests of Ssese islands.Item Double jeopardy: bark harvest for malaria treatment and poor regeneration threaten tree population in a tropical forest of Uganda(African Journal of Ecology, 2015) Galabuzi, Charles; Nabanoga, Gorettie N.; Ssegawa, Paul; Obua, Joseph; Eilu, GeraldSeveral forest plants known to supply medicine are under pressure worldwide. We carried out a study of four tree species (Warburgia ugandensis Sprague, Fleroya rubrostipulata (K.Schum.) Y.F.Deng, Syzygium guineense DC. and Zanthoxylum chalybeum Engl.) that are highly demanded for malaria treatment. The study was undertaken between 2006 and 2009 in the Sango Bay Forest Reserve, southern Uganda. The aim was to determine the conservation status of trees targeted for malaria treatment. We assessed the level of damage inflicted on trees during harvesting of medicinal parts and determined the population density of target species in the forest. We used 95 plots established along nineteen transects. Survival of the most preferred species, F. rubrostipulata, is of particular concern as its population suffered from a combination of extensive damage due to poor methods of harvesting and poor regeneration. The density of trees with diameter ≥5 cm differed between species and sites, demonstrating different recruitment and survival strategies. Management of Protected Areas should augment strategies to monitor the legal and illegal harvest of medicinal plants, by adopting low impact harvesting methods, and designating the temporal and spatial patterns of harvesting. This might reduce tree damage and mortality.Item The flora of highly degraded and vulnerable wetland ecosystems of Nyamuriro and Doho, Uganda(African Journal of Ecology, 2007) Kalema, James; Ssegawa, PaulThe wetlands of Nyamuriro and Doho were surveyed for their flora during the period August 2001 and May 2002. These two wetlands are highly degraded through cultivation. The plants in these areas were documented with a view to determining their richness and conservation importance in Uganda. Two hundred and eight species were recorded in 140 genera, 63 families and 37 orders in Nyamuriro while 184 species, 109 genera, 39 families and 27 orders were recorded in Doho. Although there are no species of global priority conservation concern, these wetlands harbour reasonable numbers of plant species, some of them rare, for their size. Nyamuriro has five species of restricted range in the country occurring in only one of the four floristic regions. Adenostemma caffrum DC. var. longifolium Chiov., from Nyamuriro, is a new record for Uganda. Typically high-elevation species absent in most wetlands in Uganda, were recorded in Nyamuriro. Plants rare in Uganda were recorded from both Doho and Nyamuriro. These two wetland ecosystems are therefore still vital for the country’s flora in terms of species richness, rarity and uniqueness. Nyamuriro needs urgent action to reverse the current trend of habitat loss and degradation. Doho was severely altered and there is a little chance for restoration.Item Influence Of Rooting Media And Indole-3-Butyric Acid (IBA) Concentration On Rooting And Shoot Formation Of Warburgia Ugandensis Stem Cuttings(African Journal of Plant Science, 2011) Akwatulira, Florence; Gwali, Samson; Okullo, John Bosco Lamoris; Ssegawa, Paul; Tumwebaze, Susan Balaba; Mbwambo, John RichardThis study investigated the influence of different rooting media and indolebutryic acid (IBA) hormone concentration on root and shoot development in stem cuttings ofWarburgia ugandensis. Stem cuttings were treated with three different levels (0.3, 0.6 and 0.8% w/w) of IBA concentration (including a control- no IBA hormone) and propagated in three rooting media (milled pine bark, top forest soil and sand) under non-misting propagators. Data on root and shoot development, callusing, number and length of roots and shoots were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Chi square test. Callusing, root and shoot development were significantly (p<0.05) influenced by rooting media and IBA concentration. Milled pine bark and 0.8% w/w IBA concentration gave the highest percentages of stem cuttings that callused, rooted and shooted (38, 37, 41% and 57, 41, 59%), respectively. Similarly, milled pine bark and 0.8% w/w IBA concentration gave the greatest number and longest roots and shoots per stem cutting. Vegetative propagation of W. ugandensis through stem cuttings can be appropriately achieved by treating the cuttings with 0.8% w/w IBA hormone using milled pine bark as a growth medium.Item Medicinal plant diversity and uses in the Sango bay area, Southern Uganda(Journal of ethnopharmacology, 2007) Ssegawa, Paul; Massan Kasenene, JohnAn inventory is presented for the medicinal plants of the Sango bay area in Southern Uganda. Fieldwork was conducted between March and August 2004, using semi-structured interviews, questionnaires and participant observation as well as transect walks in wild herbal plant collection areas. One hundred and eighty-six plant species belonging to 163 genera and 58 families with medicinal values were recorded. Remedies from these plants are prepared mainly as decoctions and infusions and administered in a variety of ways. The majority (51.3%) of these plants are herbaceous, growing mainly in the wild. Grasslands provided the highest number of species for medicinal use (54.6%) followed by home gardens (25.4%) and fallow land (19.5%). A review of Ugandan and other literature indicated that 72 (38.5%) medicinal plants reported in this study have not been reported previously as having medicinal value. According to respondents, plant species including Hallea rubrostipulata (K. Schum) J-F Leroy (Rubiaceae) and Warburgia ugandensis Sprague (Canellaceae) are threatened because of poor harvesting techniques and unsustainable harvesting intensities. Suggestions for future conservation programs, sustainable utilization and ethnopharmacological studies are given.Item Medicinal plants used by communities of Ngai Subcounty, Apac District, northern Uganda(African Journal of ecology, 2007) Okello, Jimmy; Ssegawa, PaulAn ethnobotanical survey was carried out in Ngai subcounty in Apac District. Three parishes of Ajerijeri, Abok A and Omach were taken as stratified sample areas in which both male and female traditional healers of different ages were interviewed. Information about the medicinal plants and traditional healing was gathered using questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, informal discussion and field excursion which yielded lists of local plant names, names of diseases treated, mode of administration and parts used. To enhance their effectiveness, medicinal plants are used in combinations to treat various ailments and the extent of knowledge of medicinal plant mixing determines the success of a traditional healer. Roots were the most commonly harvested part and this has greatly affected the regeneration of medicinal plants. It was believed that only plants collected from the wild were effective. Though not intentional, plant parts not used for medicinal purposes are sometimes destroyed in the process of harvesting. This practice, coupled with over harvesting, threatens the continued existence of these plants.Item A Nationwide Assessment of the Biodiversity Value of Uganda’s Important Bird Areas Network(Conservation Biology, 2006) Tushabe, Herbert; Kalema, James; Byaruhanga, Achilles; Asasira, Josephine; Ssegawa, Paul; Balmford, Andrew; Davenport, Tim; Fjeldsa, Jon; Friis, Ib; Pain, Deborah; Pomeroy, Derek; Williams, Paul; Williams, CharlesBirdLife International’s Important Bird Areas (IBA) program is the most developed global system for identifying sites of conservation priority. There have been few assessments, however, of the conservation value of IBAs for nonavian taxa.We combined past data with extensive new survey results for Uganda’s IBAs in the most comprehensive assessment to date of the wider biodiversity value of a tropical country’s IBA network. The combined data set included more than 35,000 site × species records for birds, butterflies, and woody plants at 86 Ugandan sites (23,400 km2), including 29 of the country’s 30 IBAs, with data on additional taxa for many sites. Uganda’s IBAs contained at least 70% of the country’s butterfly and woody plant species, 86% of its dragonflies and 97% of its birds. They also included 21 of Uganda’s 22 major vegetation types. For butterflies, dragonflies, and some families of plants assessed, species of high conservation concern were well represented (less so for the latter). The IBAs successfully represented wider biodiversity largely because many have distinctive avifaunas and, as shown by high cross-taxon congruence in complementarity, such sites tended to be distinctive for other groups too. Cross-taxon congruence in overall species richness was weaker and mainly associated with differences in site size. When compared with alternative sets of sites selected using complementarity-based, area-based, or random site-selection algorithms, the IBA network was efficient in terms of the number of sites required to represent species but inefficient in terms of total area. This was mainly because IBA selection considers factors other than area, however, which probably improves both the cost-effectiveness of the network and the persistence of represented species.Item Plants For Malaria Treatment in Southern Uganda: Traditional Use, Preference and Ecological Viability(Journal of Ethnobiology, 2007) Ssegawa, Paul; Kasenene, John M.A study on ethno medicinal use, preference for species, and ecological viability of plants used for treating malaria was carried out among the communities living around the Sango Bay Forest Reserve in southern Uganda. Semi-structured interviews and informal discussions were used to collect ethno botanical information. Abundance and demographic patterns of the key forest tree species used to treat malaria were determined, using 45 plots of 0.1 ha. Sixteen species representing 11 families and 14 genera were reportedly used to treat malaria, including four new reports. Hallea rubrostipulata (K. Schum.) J.-F.Leroy, Warburgia ugandensis Sprague, and Syzygium guineense (Willd.) DC. were the most important forest tree species used to treat malaria and were chosen for further study. The three species were found to be highly valued in the treatment of malaria and similarly used by the local people as determined by the clustering procedure. The species generally had an inverse J-shaped curve in their population structures, indicating viable regenerating populations. The recognition of the use of traditional medicine by the local communities as an integral and essential part of their health care system is vital in the conservation and sustainable utilization of these plants.Item Responses to Malaria Incidence in the Sango Bay Forest Reserve, Uganda(Human Ecology, 2016) Galabuzi, Charles; Nsubuga Nabanoga, Goretie; Ssegawa, Paul; Obua, Joseph; Eilu, GeraldGlobally up to two billion people live without or with limited access to effective malaria treatment. We studied a malaria-vulnerable forest community in Uganda to assess the harvesting protocols of plants used to treat malaria in order to determine their utilization thresholds. Up to 232 people were involved in interviews, focus group discussions, and forest transects walks during data collection. Data were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively using SPSS 10.0 and MINITAB 12.0. Out of the 52 anti-malarial plants recorded, a total of 29 species were new to treating malaria in this region. Herbalists living furthest from the forest were of particular concern because they collected higher quantities than those closer. Men and women collected different plant species (Z = 5.36, P < 0.001) and the distances travelled by collectors (Z = 4.542, P < 0.001) affected the amounts gathered per visit. In the event of scarcity of plants for treatment, forest communities explore new alternatives. Retraining herbalists in less destructive harvesting procedures could reduce pressure on target species without restricting utilizationItem Species communities and associations formed by the family Cyperaceae Juss. in some of Uganda’s wetlands(African Journal of Ecology, 2008) Ssegawa, Paul; Kalema, JamesThis study was conducted between August 2000 and April 2001 in ten wetlands areas of Uganda and these included Lakes Bisina, Nakuwa and Opeta, including the Doho Rice Scheme in the Lake Kyoga basin; Mabamba and Lutembe bays, Lake Nabugabo, Musambwa islands and Lutoboka peninsula in the Lake Victoria basin; and Nyamuriro swamp in Kigezi region. This study focused on Cyperaceae because of their known abundance in wet or damp areas. The aim was to assess the diversity and examine the communities and associations formed by sedges. Floristic data were collected using quadrats along transects. Cluster analysis was used to analyse for species associations. Principal components analysis was used to determine the descriptive species of the sites of the wetlands. A total of 113 taxa in 107 species belonging to 17 genera and classified into seven tribes were identified. The most rare species included Eleocharis dulcis (Burm. f.) Henschel and Cyperus iria L. Using cluster analysis the ten sites of the wetlands were classified into sedge assemblages that generally reflected ecoregional differences between the Lake Kyoga and Victoria basins. The three distinct clusters formed from cluster analysis also revealed species assemblages that represented associations of these sedges found in the sites of each cluster.