Conservation and the Struggles of the Batwa People in Uganda

Abstract

This article deals with the Batwa people living in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in southwestern Uganda. These pygmy people lived a hunter-gatherer lifestyle until a few decades ago, but their lifestyle has changed due to the militant conservationist approach and the subsequent establishment of national parks. For thousands of years, they lived more or less undisturbed in the dense, impenetrable rainforest. In the early 1990s, a national park was designated in this area, which meant that the people living there were relocated, which was not prohibited by the regulations in force at the time.