The study was carried out in three ecosystems, which were under different
land use types, in Southwestern Uganda. These were: Sango Bay area, which comprises of gazetted swamp forests and experiences favorable amounts of rainfall; Private land adjacent to Lake Mburo National Park (LMNP) which is a drought stricken area; and privately owned Rubaale grasslands, which is also drought stricken. It
analyzed land use change, using peoples’ perceptions, and focused on
biodiversity of medicinal plants and plants used as sources of income. I used Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRAs) methods to collect data, and analyzed by descriptive statistics backed by graphic illustrations. Results showed that Sango Bay area had undergone the least biodiversity loss, followed by that adjacent to LMNP, while the Rubaale grasslands had lost it most rapidly. The variations in biodiversity
loss across the study sites show a clear linkage between land use
change and biodiversity loss. Land use change, which involves clearing of the
natural vegetation, changes the
diversity and dominance of the plant species. It leads to loss of plant diversity of the original and natural type and instead introduces species tolerant of the use change. Although new species are introduced, these are the common arable weeds yet the natural land cover could have supported species of conservation concern.
More abstracts about the THE IMPACT OF LAND USE CHANGE ON BIODIVERSITY LOSS IN UGANDA.