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Item Mobilizing Evidence-based Knowledge for Sustainable Wetlands Co-management and Co-governance amidst increasing Anthropogenic and Environmental Stressors: Key Lessons from Mityana District, Uganda(Elsevier B.V, 2024-12) Matovu, Baker; Lee, Ming-An; Mammel, Mubarak; Lukambagire, Isaac; Lutalo, Bernard; Mwangu, Alex Ronald; Mwabvu, Bridget; Mim, Tahmina Akther; Bbira, Yasin; Lubega, Yasin; Muhoozi, YosiaWetlands (covering about 1.5–1.6 billion hectares globally), are critical biodiversity and livelihood hotspots. Wetlands further replenish the global economy with $47.4 trillion/year worth of ecosystem services. By jealously guarding wetlands, progress toward sustainable development goals, and livelihood welfare are possible. Unfortunately, despite the promulgation of wetland governance mechanisms, 35 percent of the global natural wetlands have been lost since the 1970s. This could be worse in undocumented or explored wetland zones situated in remote tropical regions. In this study, we bring to the fore insights from 286 documents sourced from Scopus and engagements from 105 citizens in Mityana, to (i) map wetlands (including the current vulnerabilities and threats), and (ii) co-develop a wetlands management action pathway that could create sustainable co-management possibilities and sustainable livelihood futures. Findings revealed that although research on wetlands has increased for the last 31 years, since 2021, it has plummeted. In Uganda, wetland research and scholarship is predominantly situated around the Lake Victoria region. Most research focuses on natural or biological sciences. Emerging policy themes and trending research topics are shifting from key wetland management paradigms. From a total of 105 sampled wetlands scattered across fourteen (14) sub-counties in the Mityana district, critical wetland issues were unraveled. Mityana is crossed by two wetland systems (Lake Wamala and River Mayanja dominated by permanent papyrus and seasonal swamps respectively. Wetlands offer unique livelihood, cultural assets/capitals, and ecological benefits (including cultural/aesthetics meaning). An unfathomable rate of degradation is evident. Anthropogenic factors are the predominant threat drivers, especially eucalyptus planting. The loss of culturally valuable wetlands has increased socio-cultural-ecological grief, such as around Lake Wamala. Micro-level management actions are increasing, albeit mainly around accessible permanent wetlands. Most riparian wetland sedentary populations expressed willingness and interest in the co-management and governance of community wetlands. More robust actions and pathways are needed to create avenues for community co-management. The co-developed the sustainable wetlands management action pathway (SWeMAP) provides seven (7) coherent steps, including critical social science insights that could aid sustainable wetlands governance and management across geographies. As wetlands in Uganda have been gazetted as critical to sustainable development, the urgent co-development and financing of micro-level wetland action plans, including situational inventories could help create avenues for sustainable wetlands management.Item Climate shocks, adaptive mechanisms and household energy transition in Uganda(Springer International Publishing, 2024-11) Elasu, Joseph; Ntayi, Joseph Mpeera; Adaramola, Muyiwa S.; Buyinza, Faisal; Atukunda, Ronnette; Ngoma, MuhamadAbstract Nearly 41% of the global populace depends on unclean fuels for cooking. As a result, about 4 million premature deaths connected to household air pollution are registered annually. Worryingly, over 2.1 billion people are estimated to continue using unclean fuels by 2030 if no strong policy actions are taken to alter the status quo. Climate parameters including; temperature, solar radiation, wind, and moisture have been widely touted as having an impact on multidimensional energy poverty, their effect on household energy consumption and subsequent transition to cleaner fuels is seldom investigated in Uganda. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of climate shocks, and adaptation mechanisms on household energy transition in Uganda. The study adopted a panel data methodology employing an ordered logit model with random effects to estimate the effect of climate shocks and adaptation mechanisms on household fuel transition from high to low-pollutant cooking fuels in Uganda. The findings revealed that climate shocks, adaptation mechanisms significantly affect household energy transition in Uganda. The study recommended that policies aimed at enhancing detection and report of early warning signs should be emphasized. Furthermore, investing in an insurance scheme especially for people living in climate shock prone areas can help households to cope up with shocks are eventually transition to clean cooking fuels.Item Current water contact and Schistosoma mansoni infection have distinct determinants: a data-driven population-based study in rural Uganda(Nature Publishing Group UK, 2024-11) Reitzug, Fabian; Kabatereine, Narcis B; Byaruhanga, Anatol M; Besigye, Fred; Nabatte, Betty; Chami, Goylette F.Water contact is a key element of the system of human-environment interactions that determine individual exposure to schistosome parasites and, in turn, community transmission. Yet, there is a limited understanding of the complexity of water contact. We characterised patterns and determinants of water contact within the large-scale SchistoTrack study on 2867 individuals aged 5-90 years in Eastern and Western Uganda, employing Bayesian variable selection and advanced statistical modelling. We found a 15-year gap between the population-level peak in water contact (age 30) and infection (age 15) with practically no correlation (ρ = 0.03) between individual-level water contact and infection. Adults had higher water contact than children, and 80% of individuals with water contact lived within 0.43 km of water bodies. Domestic water contact was most common for children and women, while occupational water contact was most common for men. Water contact was positively associated with older age, fishing or fish mongering occupations, the number of water sites, and type (beach/pond/swamp), and lower village-level infection prevalence. Only older age and fishing were positively, though inconsistently, associated with infection status/intensity. By providing profiles of at-risk groups, and suitable water contact metrics, our research opens avenues for spatially-targeted interventions and exposure monitoring in endemic countries.Freshwater snails are the intermediate host of schistosomes, playing an important role in transmission. Here, the authors provide a detailed analysis of water contacts and other human-environmental variables in 38 villages in Uganda and provide profiles of at risk groups. Publicly Available Content DatabaseItem Effect of Quercetin on Cadmium Chloride-Induced Impairments in Sexual Behaviour and Steroidogenesis in Male Wistar Rats(Andrologia, 2017-04-27) Ujah A.G, Nna U.V, Leku B.C.,Osim E.E.Cadmium chloride (CdCl2) has been reported to cause reproductive toxicity in male rats, mainly through oxidative stress. This study examined its effect on sexual behaviour, as one of the mechanisms of reproductive dysfunction, as well as the possible ameliorative effect of quercetin (QE) on same. Thirty male Wistar rats (10 weeks old), weighing 270–300 g, were used for this study. They were either orally administered 2% DMSO, CdCl2 (5 mg/kg b.w.), QE (20 mg/kg b.w.) or CdCl2+QE, once daily for 4 weeks, before sexual behavioural studies. The 5th group received CdCl2 for 4 weeks and allowed 4-week recovery period, before sexual behavioural test. Rats were sacrificed after sexual behavioural studies. The blood, testis and penis were collected for biochemical assays. Cadmium increased mount, intromission and ejaculatory latencies, but reduced their frequencies, compared to control. Serum nitric oxide increased, while penile cyclic guanosine monophosphate reduced in the CdCl2-exposed rats, compared to control. CdCl2 increased testicular cholesterol, but reduced 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD) and 17β-HSD activities, and testosterone concentration. QE better attenuated these negative changes compared to withdrawal of CdCl2 treatment. In conclusion, CdCl2 suppressed steroidogenesis, penile erection and sexual behaviour, with poor reversal following withdrawal, while QE attenuated these effects.Item Rangers on the frontline of wildlife monitoring: a case study on African lions in Uganda’s Nile Delta(Nature Publishing Group UK, 2024-10) Braczkowski, Alexander R; Namukose, Lilian; Musobozi, Silvan; Cornille, Orin; Mudumba, Tutilo; Drileyo, Gilbert; Broekhuis, Femke; Jingo, Sophia; Asimwe, Brenda; Luhonda, Peter; Atukwatse, Bosco; O’Bryan, Christopher J; McCallum, Hamish; Biggs, Duan; Gibson, Luke; Rwetsiba, Aggrey; Gopalaswamy, Arjun M; Lindsey, Peter; Elliot, NicholasRegular population monitoring of imperilled charismatic species such as large carnivores is critical for conservation. However, the role of monitoring in conservation is frequently diminished due to: 1) surveys being implemented in isolation, 2) limited on-ground-capacity leading to infrequent monitoring, and 3) inappropriate methods being applied. Wildlife monitoring is often resource-intensive and the utility and cost of different field protocols is rarely reported. In this study we deployed two standard field protocols aimed at collecting data on African lions within a spatial capture-recapture framework. For our first protocol, we trained Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers in search-encounter techniques, the industry gold standard for monitoring lions. The second protocol involved deploying 32 paired stations of state-of-the-art infra-red camera traps. During the search-encounter protocol, two rangers covered 2939 km in 76 days, recording 102 detections (30 individuals) in a ~ 256 km 2 area. The resulting density estimates (13.91 lions/100 km2, posterior SD = 2.34) yielded acceptable precision. Conversely, 64 camera traps over 1601 trap nights yielded two usable lion detections. We argue that where wildlife tourism rangers exist, they could be a powerful addition to future lion and wildlife census attempts across the continent. Our results confirm that the current technology of store-bought infra-red camera traps is not suitable for individual identification of lions, and therefore cannot be applied to analytical models that require unambiguous individual identities. However, we encourage the continued testing and advancement of infra-red camera trap technology since in many instances, this may be preferable to white-flash camera traps, which can yield individual identities for lions. Our study also shows the immense importance of the Nile Delta for African lions in Uganda’s Murchison Falls National Park, a protected area with both oil extraction and high rates of anthropogenic snaring pressure. A study on African lions in Uganda’s Nile Delta shows wildlife tourism rangers, an often-forgotten group in the scientific process, deliver strong density estimates. The study also shows infrared camera traps are weak at detecting lions.Item Revision of the Afrotropical genus Protoleptops Heinrich, 1967 (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Ichneumoninae), with description of a new species from Burundi(Pensoft Publishers, 2024-10) Dal Pos, Davide; De Ketelaere, Augustijn; Di Giovanni, FilippoThis study presents a comprehensive revision of the genus Protoleptops Heinrich, 1967. We describe a new species, P. nyeupe Dal Pos & Di Giovanni, sp. nov. , from Burundi, marking the first documented occurrence of an Ichneumoninae species in the country. Additionally, we provide the first diagnostic description of the female P. farquharsoni Heinrich, 1967 and report a new occurrence of this species in KwaZulu-Natal. Furthermore, we document P. magnificus for Mpumalanga (South Africa) and P. angolae Heinrich, 1967 in Uganda, thereby extending the known range of the latter into East Africa. A detailed catalogue of all species within the genus Protoleptops is also included.Item Climate variability and hydrology impacts in east Africa’s Rwenzori Mountains(Elsevier B.V, 2024-10) Jury, Mark R.Study region: The eastern flank of the 4 km Rwenzori Mountains and the Mobuku catchment 0.25–0.4 N, 29.85–30.1E are the geographic area for detailed analysis. Research focus: Hydro-climate variability is studied using high resolution satellite- and model- assimilated products in the period 1980–2023. The Mobuku catchment receives rainfall of 3–6 mm/day which generates an eastward discharge of 100 m3/s that declines rapidly downstream, thereby limiting hydro-power availability. New insights: Long-term trends in cloud fraction and potential evaporation reveal a tendency for drying associated with increasing easterly winds, subsidence near the mountain top, and warming of +.04 C/year that is melting glaciers. These constrain runoff on the eastern flank of the Rwenzori Mountains. Low river flows in Dec-Mar correspond with dry air intrusions from the northeast. High river flows in Jul-Nov are modulated by sea temperatures in the Indian Ocean that oscillate east-west at ∼3 year interval. Improved understanding of climate variability will contribute to better management of Uganda’s hydro-power resources.Item Response surface methodology directed modeling of the biosorption of progesterone onto acid activated Moringa oleifera seed biomass: Parameters and mechanisms(Elsevier Ltd, 2024-07-27) Emily Ngeno; Roselyn Ongulu; Victor Shikuku; Deo Ssentongo; Benton Otieno; Patrick Ssebugere; Francis OrataIn this study, chemically activated fat-free powdered Moringa oleifera seed biomass (MOSB) was synthesized, characterized, and utilized as a cost-effective biosorbent for the abstraction of progesterone (PGT) hormone from synthetic wastewater. Natural PGT is a human steroid hormone from the progestogen family. Synthetic PGT is approved for the regulation of the menstrual cycle, aiding contraception, and is administered as a hormone replacement therapy in menopausal and post-menopausal women. PGT is an endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) with negative health impacts on biota. The X-ray diffractogram (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy-Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and Brunauer–Emmet–Teller (BET) analyses displayed a porous, amorphous biosorbent with an elemental composition of 72.5% carbon and 22.5% oxygen and a specific surface area of 210.0 m2 g−1. The process variables including temperature (298–338 K), pH (2–10), contact time (10–180 min), adsorbate concentration (20–500 μg L−1), and adsorbent dosage (0.1–2.0 g) were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) to obtain the greatest efficacy of MOSB during biosorption of PGT. The optimum parameters for PGT biosorption onto MOSB were: 86.8 min, 500 μg L−1 adsorbate concentration, 298 K, and 0.1 g adsorbent dosage. PGT removal from aqueous solutions was pH-independent. The Langmuir isotherm best fitted the equilibrium data with maximal monolayer biosorption capacity of 135.8 μg g−1. The biosorption rate followed the pseudo-first-order (PFO) kinetic law. The thermodynamic functions (ΔG < 0, ΔH = −9.258 kJ mol−1 and ΔS = +44.16 J mol−1) confirmed that the biosorption of PGT onto MOSB is a spontaneous and exothermic process with increased randomness at the adsorbent surface. The biosorption mechanism was physisorption and was devoid of electrostatic interactions. The findings from this study indicate that MOSB is an inexpensive, low-carbon, and environmentally friendly biosorbent that can effectively scavenge PGT from aqueous solutions. [Display omitted] •MOSB has been used in sequestration of progesterone (PGT) from solution.•Optimum adsorbate parameters were 86.8 min, 500 μg L−1, 298 K and 0.1 g dosage.•PGT removal from aqueous solutions was pH independent.•Biosorption of PGT onto MOSB was a spontaneous and exothermic process.•Biosorption mechanism was physisorption and devoid of electrostatic interactions.Item Understanding the nexus between traditional brick-making, biophysical and socio-economic environment of Goma Division, Mukono Municipality, Central Uganda(University of Brawijaya, 2024-07) Remigio Turyahabwe; Edward Andama; Andrew Mulabbi; Alice NakiyembaThis study aimed to evaluate the environmental and socio-economic impact of traditional brick-making in Goma Division. The research methods included semi-structured questionnaires, key informant interviews, field observation, and focused group discussions. The results indicated that traditional brick-making is causing harm to the biophysical environment in the form of the degradation of wetland vegetation and deforestation (100%), landscape deformation (85%), air and water pollution, whereby DO had reduced by 19.8%, BOD, pH, TSS, TDS, EC and turbidity had increased by 3.8±0.9 ppm, 1.2±0.1, 89.4±0.1 mg/L, 18±0.9 ppm, 70±0.7 µS/cm, and 264±44 NTUs, respectively. Water pollution loads varied from point to point of sampling significantly at p<0.05, with the highest loads found at the tail end or downstream of the site but lowest at a point upstream of the clay mining site. The socio-economic analysis showed that the benefits of brick-making outweigh the costs in terms of magnitude, except for the frequency of responses. All respondents indicated that brick-making had created employment, while 87% reported an improvement in their standard of living. However, the activity is associated with accidents that can result in loss of life or bodily injury. It was concluded that Mukono Municipal Environmental Officers should monitor brick-making mines and site activities to prevent the creation of open pits and caves. The environment should be treated as a borrowed asset to ensure sustainability. The study suggests that financial support and awareness should be available to clay miners and brickmakers to ensure sustainability.Item Endocrine disrupting chemicals in wastewater treatment plants in Kenya, East Africa: Concentrations, removal efficiency, mass loading rates and ecological impacts(Elsevier Ltd, 2024-05) Emily Ngeno; Roselyn Ongulu; Francis Orata; Henry Matovu; Victor Shikuku; Richard Onchiri; Abel Mayaka; Eunice Majanga; Zachary Getenga; Joel Gichumbi; Joel GichumbiThis study investigated the levels, mass loadings, removal efficiency, and associated ecotoxicological risks of selected endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), namely, dibutylphthalate (DBP), diethylhexylphthalate (DEHP), dimethylphthalate (DMP), linuron (LNR) and progesterone (PGT) in wastewater, sludge, and untreated dry biosolid (UDBS) samples from twelve wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in nine major towns in Kenya. Analysis was done using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spec trometry (LC-MS/MS). All the wastewater influents had quantifiable levels of EDCs with DBP being the most abundant (37.49%) with a range of 4.33 ± 0.63 to 19.68 ± 1.24 μg L− 1 . DEHP was the most abundant in sludge and accounted for 48.2% ranging between 278.67 and 9243.49 ng g− 1 dry weight (dw). In the UDBS samples, DEHP was also the most abundant (40%) of the total EDCs detected with levels ranging from 78.77 to 3938.54 ng g− 1 dw. The average removal efficiency per pollutant was as follows: DMP (98.7%) > DEHP (91.7%) > PGT (83.4%) > DBP (77.9%) > LNR (72.2%) which can be attributed to sorption onto the biosolid, biological degradation, photolysis, and phytoremediation. The pH was negatively correlated to the EDC concentrations while total dissolved solids (TDS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), and electrical conductivity (EC) were positively correlated. The mass loadings were as high as 373.33 g day− 1 of DBP in the treatment plants located in densely populated cities. DEHP and PGT had their Risk Quotients (RQs) > 1, posing a high risk to biota. DMP, DBP, and LNR posed medium risks as their RQ values were between 0.1 and 1. EDCs are therefore loaded to environmental compartments through either the effluent that loads these pollutants into the receiving aquatic ecosystem or through the UDBS, which are used as fertilizers in agricultural farmlands causing potential toxicological risks to aquatic and terrestrial life.Item Climate change: A pointer to increased small-scale fisher drowning deaths(Public Library of Science, 2024-05) Rasolofoson, Ranaivo A; Onyango, Horace Owiti; Awuor, Fonda Jane; Aura, Christopher Mulanda; Fiorella, Kathryn JAbstract Drowning is an overlooked public health concern and drowning risk is dependent on environmental risk factors. The preponderance of drowning deaths occurs in low- and middle-income countries. Small-scale fishers face high occupational risk of drowning. Climate change increases the frequency and intensity of storms, thereby exacerbating fishers’ risks and creating a need to examine the contribution of storms to fisher drowning deaths for the development of mitigation strategies. We examined this relationship between weather and fisher drowning deaths in Lake Victoria, which is Africa’s largest lake, a site of high fishing pressure, and where climate change is predicted to increase thunderstorms. We conducted a verbal autopsy with people knowledgeable about recent fatal fisher drowning incidents to collect information about the deceased fishers and circumstances surrounding the incidents across 43 landing sites in the Kenyan shore of Lake Victoria. Semi-structured interviews with stakeholders also elucidated community perspectives on drowning risks. Fatal drownings were often attributed to bad weather (41.8%). Other risk factors, such as non-use of life jacket and navigation equipment, co-occurred with bad weather at high rates (69.5% and 67.8%, respectively) to jointly contribute to fatal drowning incidents. Such co-occurrence of risk factors indicates that actions across multiple risk factors can help mitigate the issue. Stakeholder analysis revealed a range of opportunities for improved communication of risks and action to mitigate risks across boat operators and manufacturers, as well as multiple levels of management. Across global small-scale fisheries, limited use of safety equipment and intensive fishing pressure may coincide with increases in extreme weather events, necessitating action to address current and mitigate future drowning risks to small-scale fishers.Item Analysis of Machine Learning Algorithms for Prediction of Short-Term Rainfall Amounts Using Uganda’s Lake Victoria Basin Weather Dataset(IEEE, 2024-05) Gahwera, Tumusiime Andrew; Eyobu, Odongo Steven; Isaac, MugumeAs a result of climate change, the difficulty in the prediction of short-term rainfall amounts has become a necessary area of research. The existing numerical weather prediction models have limitations in precipitation forecasting especially due to high computation requirements and are prone to errors. Precipitation amount prediction is challenging as it requires knowledge on a variety of environmental phenomena, such as temperature, humidity, wind direction, and more over a long period of time. In this study, we first of all present our Lake Victoria Basin weather dataset and then use it to conduct a rigorous analysis of machine learning algorithms to do short term rainfall prediction. The rigorous analysis includes algorithm optimizations to improve prediction performance. In particular, we intend to validate our weather dataset using various machine learning regression models which include Random Forest regression, Support vector regression, Neural Network regression, Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator regression, Gradient boosting regression, and Extreme Gradient boosting regression. The performance of the models was assessed using Mean Absolute Error (MAE), and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) performance metrics. The findings demonstrate that, in comparison to other algorithms, Extreme Gradient Boost Regression had the lowest MAE values of 0.006, 0.018, 0.005 for Lake Victoria basin weather data in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania respectively.Item Applying collocation and APRIORI analyses to chimpanzee diets: Methods for investigating nonrandom food combinations in primate self-medication(Wiley Subscription Services, Inc, 2024-05) Freymann, Elodie; d'Oliveira Coelho, João; Hobaiter, Catherine; Huffman, Michael A.; Muhumuza, Geresomu; Zuberbühler, Klaus; Carvalho, Susana; Carvalho, SusanaIdentifying novel medicinal resources in chimpanzee diets has historically presented challenges, requiring extensive behavioral data collection and health monitoring, accompanied by expensive pharmacological analyses. When putative therapeutic self-medicative behaviors are observed, these events are often considered isolated occurrences, with little attention paid to other resources ingested in combination. For chimpanzees, medicinal resource combinations could play an important role in maintaining well-being by tackling different symptoms of an illness, chemically strengthening efficacy of a treatment, or providing prophylactic compounds that prevent future ailments. We call this concept the self-medicative resource combination hypothesis. However, a dearth of methodological approaches for holistically investigating primate feeding ecology has limited our ability to identify nonrandom resource combinations and explore potential synergistic relationships between medicinal resource candidates. Here we present two analytical tools that test such a hypothesis and demonstrate these approaches on feeding data from the Sonso chimpanzee community in Budongo Forest, Uganda. Using 4 months of data, we establish that both collocation and APRIORI analyses are effective exploratory tools for identifying binary combinations, and that APRIORI is effective for multi-item rule associations. We then compare outputs from both methods, finding up to 60% agreement, and propose APRIORI as more effective for studies requiring control over confidence intervals and those investigating nonrandom associations between more than two resources. These analytical tools, which can be extrapolated across the animal kingdom, can provide a cost-effective and efficient method for targeting resources for further pharmacological investigation, potentially aiding in the discovery of novel medicines.Item Oil, transport, water and food: a political-economy-ecology lens on VET in a climate changing world(Routledge, 2024-03-11) Lotz-Sisitka, Heila; McGrath, Simon; Ramsarup, PreshaIn this paper, drawing on an extensive research project across three countries (VET Africa 4.0 Collective 2023), we produce an emerging argument that it is necessary to rethink and reframe VET logics and approaches in a warming future dominated by informality and mass unemployment. Currently,neither the formal VET college or workplace are adequately set up to provide the type(s) of VET that are in demand or needed for just transitioning and sustainable futures. We acknowledge the importance of political economy accounts in developing a richer understanding of VET, but suggest these are not sufficient for dealing with the existential and practical crisis of the climate emergency. We note that many scholars have sought to address this tension in the academic literature by adopting a political ecology account that reframes the theoretical and political challenge. This leads us to call for a political-economy-ecology account of VET. Although we acknowledge the limited nature of our approach here, we offer some thoughts for VET analysis with reflection on these theoretical issues applied to four cases studies from Uganda and South Africa of VET provisioning in oil, transport, water and food (which materially shape our cases). Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts (ASSIA)Item Selective deforestation and exposure of African wildlife to bat-borne viruses(Nature Publishing Group UK, 2024-04) Fedurek, Pawel; Asiimwe, Caroline; Rice, Gregory K.; Akankwasa, Walter J; Reynolds, Vernon; Hobaiter, Catherine; Kityo, Robert; Muhanguzi, Geoffrey; Zuberbühler, Klaus; Crockford, Catherine; Cer, Regina Z; Bennett, Andrew J; Rothman, Jessica M; Bishop-Lilly, Kimberly A; Goldberg, Tony L.Proposed mechanisms of zoonotic virus spillover often posit that wildlife transmission and amplification precede human outbreaks. Between 2006 and 2012, the palm Raphia farinifera , a rich source of dietary minerals for wildlife, was nearly extirpated from Budongo Forest, Uganda. Since then, chimpanzees, black-and-white colobus, and red duiker were observed feeding on bat guano, a behavior not previously observed. Here we show that guano consumption may be a response to dietary mineral scarcity and may expose wildlife to bat-borne viruses. Videos from 2017–2019 recorded 839 instances of guano consumption by the aforementioned species. Nutritional analysis of the guano revealed high concentrations of sodium, potassium, magnesium and phosphorus. Metagenomic analyses of the guano identified 27 eukaryotic viruses, including a novel betacoronavirus. Our findings illustrate how “upstream” drivers such as socioeconomics and resource extraction can initiate elaborate chains of causation, ultimately increasing virus spillover risk. A study in Uganda found that local extirpation of a mineral-rich tree species used in tobacco farming forced wildlife to obtain minerals by eating bat guano, in which 27 eukaryotic viruses were identified, including a novel betacoronavirus.Item Flexible grouping patterns in a western and eastern chimpanzee community(Wiley Subscription Services, Inc, 2024-04) Koops, Kathelijne; Akankwasa, Walter; Camara, Henry Didier; Fitzgerald, Maegan; Keir, Alex; Mamy, Gnan; Matsuzawa, Tetsuro; Péter, Hella; Vicent, Kizza; Zuberbühler, Klaus; Hobaiter, CatherineAbstract Primate social organizations, or grouping patterns, vary significantly across species. Behavioral strategies that allow for flexibility in grouping patterns offer a means to reduce the costs of group living. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) have a fission‐fusion social system in which temporary subgroups (“parties”) change in composition because of local socio‐ecological conditions. Notably, western chimpanzees (P. t. verus) are described as showing a higher degree of bisexual bonding and association than eastern chimpanzees, and eastern female chimpanzees (P. t. schweinfurthii) are thought to be more solitary than western female chimpanzees. However, reported comparisons in sociality currently depend on a small number of study groups, particularly in western chimpanzees, and variation in methods. The inclusion of additional communities and direct comparison using the same methods are essential to assess whether reported subspecies differences in sociality hold in this behaviorally heterogeneous species. We explored whether sociality differs between two communities of chimpanzees using the same motion‐triggered camera technology and definitions of social measures. We compare party size and composition (party type, sex ratio) between the western Gahtoy community in the Nimba Mountains (Guinea) and the eastern Waibira community in the Budongo Forest (Uganda). Once potential competition for resources such as food and mating opportunities were controlled for, subspecies did not substantially influence the number of individuals in a party. We found a higher sex‐ratio, indicating more males in a party, in Waibira; this pattern was driven by a greater likelihood in Gahtoy to be in all‐female parties. This finding is the opposite of what was expected for eastern chimpanzees, where female‐only parties are predicted to be more common. Our results highlight the flexibility in chimpanzee sociality, and caution against subspecies level generalizations. We used the same motion‐triggered camera technology to compare party size and composition between the western Gahtoy community in the Nimba Mountains (Guinea) and the eastern Waibira community in the Budongo Forest (Uganda). Western chimpanzees were more likely to be in all‐female parties, which is contrary to the expectation of more female‐only parties in eastern chimpanzees. Our findings highlight the flexibility in chimpanzee grouping patterns. Research highlights Party size in western and eastern chimpanzees did not differ between our two study communities suggesting that the number of individuals in a party is shaped by similar socio‐ecological pressures. In our sample, eastern chimpanzees were found to have more males in a party compared to western chimpanzees, contrary to the expectation of more female‐only parties in eastern compared to western chimpanzees. Our findings highlight the flexibility in chimpanzee grouping patterns and caution against subspecies level generalizations from limited data points and/or heterogeneous methods.Item Navigating through Complexity by Profiling the Main Threats to Sustainable Tropical Wetlands Management and Governance: A Case Study of Mityana District, Uganda(Springer International Publishing, 2024-03) Matovu, Baker; Sarfo, Isaac; Bbira, Yasin; Yeboah, Emmanuel; Muhoozi, Yosia; Lukambagire, IsaacAbstract Wetlands are crucial ecosystems that promote sustainable livelihood and biodiversity conservation, especially in tropical regions. However, recent studies have reported increasing threats to wetlands both environmental and human which threaten the provision and acquisition of several wetland benefts. Though there is recognition of the value of wetlands, in most local communities in Uganda; especially around the Lake Wamala region in Mityana district, there is still limited knowledge and research on the benefts of wetlands and the level of threat thus afecting wetland governance. This research addresses this gap by using participatory research to create a baseline inventory that could be used by wetland managers to identify the main wetlands threats to inform policy on how to develop participatory actions and local area-based management practices. The study was conducted in 14 sub-counties and a sample of 105 wetlands along the wetlands of Lake Wamala and River Mayanja wetlands system in Mityana District was captured. Study fndings revealed increased human threats to wetlands especially in the River Mayanja seasonal wetlands zone. The increased efects of environmental threats such as climate change are also altering permanent wetlands along Lake Wamala. Our developed inventory based on local participants’ perspectives revealed that since the level of damage to wetlands in Mityana especially the permanent wetlands is relatively low, a focus on developing new mapping, and a decentralized approach to wetland management that focuses on capacity building, development of wetlands action plans, increased support to local wetland authorities, and a system thinking approach in wetland threat identifcation and management could help in the regeneration of most wetlands zones.Item Does industrialization promote the emission mitigation agenda of East Africa? a pathway toward environmental sustainability(Frontiers Research Foundation, 2024-03) Yu, Yan Musah, Mohammed; Owusu-Akomeah, Michael; Nkyi, Joseph Akwasi; Li, Jing; Appiagyei Ampong, George Oppong; Kumah, Emmanuel Attah; Cao, Siqi; Xu, Yuxiang; Shi, Yingfang; Wang, Liqi; Hui, Can; Li, KaoduiOne macroeconomic variable that has been proven to be a major driver of environmental quality in the world is industrialization. However, despite the numerous explorations on the connection between industrialization and ecological quality, limited studies have examined the linkage amidst the series in East Africa. This study was therefore conducted to help fill that gap. In accomplishing this goal, econometric techniques that control for cross-sectional correlations, heterogeneity and endogeneity among others, were engaged for the analysis. From the results, the panel under consideration was heterogeneous and cross-sectionally correlated. Also, the studied series were first differenced stationary and cointegrated in the long-run. The elasticities of the regressors were explored via the cross-sectionally augmented autoregressive distributed lag (CS-ARDL) estimator, cross-sectionally augmented distributed lag (CS-DL) estimator and the augmented mean group (AMG) estimator. From the results, industrialization reduced environmental quality in the region via high CO2 emissions. Also, financial development, foreign direct investments, urbanization and energy consumption were not environmentally friendly in the bloc. On the causal linkages amid the series, bidirectional causalities between industrialization and CO2 emissions; between energy consumption and CO2 secretions; and between foreign direct investments and CO2 exudates were detected. Finally, one-way causal movements from financial development and urbanization to the effluents of CO2 were unraveled. Based on the findings the study recommended among others that, national policies that can promote energy conservation at the industrial level, and can convert the industrial structure of the region to a low carbon-intensive one should be formulated.Item Climate change-related distributional range shifts of venomous snakes: a predictive modelling study of effects on public health and biodiversity(Elsevier Ltd, 2024-03) Martinez, Pablo Ariel; Teixeira, Irene Barbosa da Fonseca; Siqueira-Silva, Tuany; da Silva, Franciely Fernanda Barbosa; Lima, Luiz Antônio Gonzaga; Chaves-Silveira, Jonatas; Olalla-Tárraga, Miguel Ångel; Gutiérrez, José María; Amado, Talita FerreiraClimate change is expected to have profound effects on the distribution of venomous snake species, including reductions in biodiversity and changes in patterns of envenomation of humans and domestic animals. We estimated the effect of future climate change on the distribution of venomous snake species and potential knock-on effects on biodiversity and public health. We built species distribution models based on the geographical distribution of 209 medically relevant venomous snake species (WHO categories 1 and 2) and present climatic variables, and used these models to project the potential distribution of species in 2070. We incorporated different future climatic scenarios into the model, which we used to estimate the loss and gain of areas potentially suitable for each species. We also assessed which countries were likely to gain new species in the future as a result of species crossing national borders. We integrated the species distribution models with different socioeconomic scenarios to estimate which countries would become more vulnerable to snakebites in 2070. Our results suggest that substantial losses of potentially suitable areas for the survival of most venomous snake species will occur by 2070. However, some species of high risk to public health could gain climatically suitable areas for habitation. Countries such as Niger, Namibia, China, Nepal, and Myanmar could potentially gain several venomous snake species from neighbouring countries. Furthermore, the combination of an increase in climatically suitable areas and socioeconomic factors (including low-income and high rural populations) means that southeast Asia and Africa (and countries including Uganda, Kenya, Bangladesh, India, and Thailand in particular) could have increased vulnerability to snakebites in the future, with potential effects on public human and veterinary health. Loss of venomous snake biodiversity in low-income countries will affect ecosystem functioning and result in the loss of valuable genetic resources. Additionally, climate change will create new challenges to public health in several low-income countries, particularly in southeast Asia and Africa. The international community needs to increase its efforts to counter the effects of climate change in the coming decades. German Research Foundation, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación de España, European Regional Development Fund.Item Habitual ground nesting in the Bugoma Forest chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii), Uganda(Wiley Subscription Services, Inc, 2024-02) Hobaiter, Catherine; Klein, Harmonie; Gruber, ThibaudWe report the presence of habitual ground nesting in a newly studied East African chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) population in the Bugoma Central Forest Reserve, Uganda. Across a 2‐year period, we encountered 891 night nests, 189 of which were classified as ground nests, a rate of ~21%. We find no preliminary evidence of socio‐ecological factors that would promote its use and highlight local factors, such as high incidence of forest disturbance due to poaching and logging, which appear to make its use disadvantageous. While further study is required to establish whether this behavior meets the strict criteria for nonhuman animal culture, we support the argument that the wider use of population and group‐specific behavioral repertoires in flagship species, such as chimpanzees, offers a tool to promote the urgent conservation action needed to protect threatened ecosystems, including the Bugoma forest. Chimpanzees of the Mwera community in the Bugoma Central Forest Reserve, Uganda, construct 21% of their overnight nests on the ground, with a further 4% at under 2 m in height. Overnight ground nests can be distinguished from flimsier structures, such as day beds, by the use of multiple interwoven structural branches. Research highlights Chimpanzees in the Bugoma Forest, Uganda, habitually employ overnight ground nests (21% of total nests, ground nests present in 25% of nest sites). We discuss a range of socio‐ecological and cultural explanations, highlighting local factors that appear to be disadvantageous for the behavior. While behavioral variation may offer a powerful tool for conservation, strict scientific thresholds for establishing cultural explanations may not be compatible with urgent conservation timelines.