Investigating Threats to Chimps in Uganda

The Budongo Forest Research Project is wonderful and important; I very much enjoyed learning about it by participating in this Earthwatch expedition and having an opportunity to support it during our visit. I will be supporting it in a variety of ways afterward. I would consider this more of a participant observation experience. We were introduced to multiple interesting research projects at Budongo, but it was difficult for us to work independently.

The Budongo Conservation Forest Field Station is a tremendously inspiring team of local and foreign field biologists. We greatly enjoyed being able to participate for 8 days based in a comfortable cabin beside a fruiting fig tree full of hornbills, monkeys, and apes. The hands-on learning opportunities about the different long-term data projects from tree phenology to bird surveys in different forest types to chimpanzee behavior to how the three resident monkey species spend their days to snare removal and efforts to educate and economically assist the neighboring communities were all of great interest. All the field biology assistants -- members of the local community who have become highly trained field scientists – are extremely professional, dedicated, passionate, and generous with their knowledge and did a masterful job explaining their respective projects to us and allowing us to participate to the extent we could be helpful. Given the presence of an extremely professional field team and the sophistication of much of the data collection, our role often felt best defined as participant observer. Being attentive, curious, and appreciative students felt important. We allowed the local field biology assistants to hone and showcase their skills, and we confirmed the international importance of their work with our questions and comments. We were also pleased to see our modest funding assistance make such a tremendous scientific impact. We highly recommend this project. We came away with a much better understanding of the challenges and opportunities of preserving and understanding this magnificent equatorial tropical forest—the largest in Uganda—and developed a great appreciation for the team on the ground.

Being at the Budongo field station was an honour. We were surrounded by hugely knowledgeable and passionate staff (field 'assistants' very much included), who welcomed us to learn from them and join their varied activities. I was treated with kindness and respect (despite not being a scientist) and would very happily return whenever my work allows!