Photo Courtesy of Kibale Community Fuel Wood Project Visitors view educational materials at Uganda's first natural history museum.

One of the largest and best-studied chimpanzee populations in Africa is located in the Kibale National Park in western Uganda.  Many humans live around the park, and are heavily dependent on wood for household cooking. The result is that the forest at the boundaries of the park is steadily disappearing.  The Kibale Community Fuel Wood Project includes the introduction of a fast-growing woody tree species that can be sustainably grown on backyard plots as well as the implementation of fuel-efficient stoves that decrease the amount of wood needed for cooking.

The project directors, Michael Stern and Rebecca Goldstone, requested funds from Great Ape Trust to create and operate a natural history museum in the Kaburala trading center, less than a mile from Kibale National Park. The museum, which is the first of its kind in Uganda, houses a collection of artifacts and educational materials to enhance the knowledge of villagers about chimpanzees, other apes, the park itself, and the links between fuel, trees and chimpanzees. The museum also serves as a gathering point to demonstrate the new sustainable fuel wood and the new stoves. The Ugandan Wildlife Authority provided the artifacts and supports the project.

Great Ape Trust, the sole funder of the museum, provided the museum’s rent for one year, supported the artifacts project and paid the salaries of a community liaison and local assistants for one year.