Budongo Forest Reserve, Uganda

Brief History

Chimpanzee research at Budongo began in 1960 with a brief visit by Itani. Vernon Reynolds did the first lengthy study there in 1962 and Yukimaru Sugiyama worked there in 1966 and was succeeded by Akira Suzuki. There was then a research hiatus until 1990, when Reynolds and colleagues returned and set up the Budongo Forest Project, which continues through the present date (1998). One community (Sonso, after the Sonso River) has been habituated. Much of the recent research has focussed on the effects of logging in the forest.


Primary sources for this site are Eggeling (1947) and the Budongo Forest Project website, at http://www.budongo.org/

SITE DATA

Name: Budongo Forest
Location: Uganda, roughly 1° 45' N, 31° 30' E
Status: Forest Reserve
Area: 428 km2
Altitude: average 1100 m
Temp: mean min - mean max: 14°C - 28°C (Eggeling 1947)
Rainfall: 1500 mm, with Dec. - Feb. less rainy (Eggeling 1947)
Vegetation: Semi-deciduous moist tropical rain forest
Human
influence:
Extensive logging operations that fell off during the Amin years; see Plumptre & Reynolds (1994)
Disturbance ratings 3, 4, 1, 4, 4
Closest
village:
Nyakafunjo
Species
studied:
P. t. schweinfurthii
Population
density:
1.3 individuals per km2
Fauna: Click for table
Study
period:
Intermittently during 1960s; 1990 to present
Habituation: Yes, one (Sonso) community
Research
presence:
continuous
Conservation: achieved by Budongo Forest Project
Current
research:
Various; includes emphasis on effects of selective logging on diet, ecology and behavior
Methods: censusing, all-day follows, checksheets etc.
Contact
person:
Prof. Vernon Reynolds, Head, The Budongo Forest Project, Institute of Biological Anthropology, Oxford University, 58 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 6QS UK
email: vernon.reynolds@bioanth.ox.ac.uk
Habitat photos ---
Maps ---
Aerial photos Available at BFP base camp at Budongo
Bibliography Arranged by author or by year of publication.
Miscellaneous Related links

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