Updated 15 October 2026

tree planting Bwindi is one of Uganda’s outstanding natural or cultural attractions, drawing visitors in search of wildlife, scenery, and authentic African experiences. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest ends abruptly: on one side of the park boundary is ancient rainforest, on the other tea, bananas and potato fields running right up to the trees. Tree planting around Bwindi tries to soften that edge. Native trees go into buffer strips, woodlots and farms so that neighbours have firewood, timber and income without entering the park. This guide explains why the edge matters to gorillas, what restoration work actually involves, and how visitors can see or support it during a gorilla trip.

Tree planting and forest restoration around Bwindi: how communities are healing Uganda’s forests

Why the forest edge matters

Bwindi is an island of forest of about 331 km² in one of the most densely populated farming regions in Africa. Over the twentieth century, clearing for farms pushed fields to the forest boundary almost everywhere. Since the park was created in 1991, the boundary has held. But a hard edge brings its own problems. Neighbours still need firewood, poles and medicinal plants, and the forest is the nearest source. Gorillas, for their part, do not respect park lines.

Several habituated families, especially around Buhoma, Rushaga and Nkuringo, regularly leave the park to feed in fields, eating banana stems, eucalyptus bark and crops. That creates crop losses for farmers and health risks for the gorillas, which can catch human diseases from close contact. Community teams known as HuGo (Human and Gorilla Conflict Resolution) volunteers herd gorillas back into the forest, but the long-term answer is a landscape where the boundary is less of a cliff edge.

Buffer zones: putting land between farms and forest

The most direct approach has been to buy land along the boundary and take it out of farming. At Nkuringo in 2003, the Uganda Wildlife Authority, supported by the International Gorilla Conservation Programme, bought a strip about 12 km long and 350 m wide between the park and village farms. The buffer is managed with the community. It is planted with crops gorillas do not eat, such as tea, and with native trees, so that gorillas leaving the forest meet a zone they find less rewarding before they reach food crops.

In other places, unpalatable crops have been planted on farmland bordering the park. Tea is the most common, since gorillas ignore it and it gives farmers a cash crop. Buffers are not perfect, and gorillas still cross them. But combined with HuGo teams and compensation from park revenue, they have reduced the most damaging encounters.

Native trees versus eucalyptus

Drive through Kigezi and you will see eucalyptus and pine everywhere. They grow fast and are valuable for poles and firewood, which is why farmers plant them. But they offer little to forest wildlife, use a lot of water and suppress plants beneath them. Restoration projects around Bwindi therefore try to raise native species instead. Examples include Prunus africana, valued for its medicinal bark, native figs and Markhamia, along with fruit trees that birds and primates use.

That depends on nurseries. Community groups, often women’s groups, collect seed from native trees, raise seedlings in shaded beds and sell them to projects, lodges and neighbours. The work is slow, because many forest species are hard to germinate. It also matters socially: the nurseries create jobs, and the trees on farms reduce the hours women and children spend collecting firewood from the park edge.

Trees on farms and carbon payments

Much of the planting around Bwindi happens on private farms rather than in designated restoration sites. Farmers plant trees along boundaries and terraces and mix them with crops to hold soil on steep slopes, which matters in a region where heavy rain strips topsoil from hillsides. Nitrogen-fixing species such as Calliandra also provide fodder and improve soil. Mature trees on farms near the park are used by forest birds such as turacos and hornbills.

Some schemes in south-west Uganda pay farmers for the carbon their trees store, with payments spread over years as long as the trees are kept. These payments matter because a tree is a long-term commitment for a smallholder with little land. Results vary by scheme, so treat any claim of tonnes offset per tree with caution and look for independent verification.

How park money supports the edge

Gorilla tourism pays for much of this work. Under Uganda’s revenue-sharing policy, 20% of park entry fees and a US$10 levy on every gorilla permit go to parishes bordering the park. Communities choose projects, which include nurseries, tree seedlings, livestock and schools. The Bwindi Mgahinga Conservation Trust, set up in the 1990s with an endowment, has funded community and forest projects for decades. For the bigger picture, read our guide to the economics of the US$800 gorilla permit and how tourism saved mountain gorillas.

How visitors can see or support restoration

The easiest way is to ask your lodge. Several lodges around Bwindi run tree-planting sessions for guests, support local nurseries or will connect you with a community group. A guided village walk is also an easy add-on, usually on the afternoon before or after your trek. Many include a nursery, tea plantations or farms on the boundary, and you will hear from farmers what living next to gorillas is really like. See our guides to community walks near Bwindi and community-run tourism.

Planting one tree on a visit is symbolic. The real value comes from the trees that survive, so ask who cares for the seedling afterwards and whether it is a native species. Donations to established local groups or long-running trusts usually do more than a one-off photo opportunity. Longer stays are covered in our guide to volunteering in gorilla conservation.

Frequently asked questions