Last week FutureWater participated in the inception meeting organized by WWF in Uganda, on the Hydrological and Agronomic Study for a Payment for Watershed Services Scheme in Rwenzori Mountains National Park, Uganda. This is a pilot study within a larger project coordinated by WWF, called “Sustainable Financing of the Rwenzori Mountains National Park (SFRMNP) Project” with funding from the European Union (EU) and the French Funds for Global Environment (FFEM).

During the inception meeting in Kampala, the different methods and tools were presented and the strategies and parameters for the field measurement campaign was discussed. The study is carried out with a team of local consultants that will perform the field work and stakeholder consultations. The meeting was followed by a field trip to the two study watersheds (Mubuku and Nyamwamba), to visit the monitoring and sampling sites and potential degradation hotspots.

The aim of this pilot study is to build the technical case for the development of a Payment for Watershed Services scheme in the Rwenzori Mountains National Park. Based on hydrological and agronomic data, mapping and modeling, the principal watershed services will be assessed, priority areas and interventions will be identified, stakeholders will be engaged, and the monitoring and evaluation structure will be defined.