There are very few national parks within East Africa with the diversity of habitats found within the Murchison Falls Conservation Area. Murchison comprises half of the major biomes (a large ecological community, usually with a dominant type of vegetation) found in the world. These are: tropical savannah, tropical woodlands, tropical deciduous forest, tropical evergreen forest, and permanent swamps.
Despite this, relatively little scientific study has been carried out in the park and its environs. The Exceptions have been in Budongo Forest Reserve (793 km2) just outside the park, and the elephant ecology in North Bunyoro, South of the river. These two subject areas have been focused upon in the past because of economics in the case of the forest potential of ecological calamity as a result of overpopulation of elephants.
Pre- 1920s economic activity in Budongo consisted mainly of tapping wild rubber. Commercial logging began officially in 1930 when the first logging license was granted to the Buchanan Saw Mill. In 1932 Budongo Forest gazetted as a forest reserve. It is the largest richest mahogany forest in East Africa. When the importance of this of this forest was realized in the early 1930s a very well studied, highly selective felling strategy was implemented. Over the past 20 years, the forest suffered a great deal due to human encroachment, illegal “pit-sawing” and charcoal burning. These small and localized operations are difficult to control. Constant ground and air patrons are needed to monitor illegal foresting activities is unavailable. It is estimated that only 22% of the forest remains unaffected by human intervention.
Tourism is an important tool in conserving the park. By demarcating areas as reserves or national parks, governments restrict some activities such as human settlement and agriculture in order to preserve the habitats found in the areas, and there by the species they support.
The problems for African animals, especially the large herbivores such as elephants, is that they consume an enormous amount of vegetation and they are used to covering large distances to find their preferred food, or in the dry season, water. In confining the animals to reserve areas, immense pressure is placed on the habitats until they are eventually changed. This change effects other species that also rely on the habitat for survival. From an ecological point of view, the change of habitat is undesirable as it is contrary to the primary objective of preservation. The management of protected areas becomes much more than maintaining roads, controlling poaching, and collecting entrance fees. It must be the complete management of the ecology, which in African game parks is a young science with constantly changing interpretations of the mechanisms involved and how to cope with them. For example, culling a herd is now an acceptable ecological practice, but totally abhorrent 30 years ago. Uncontrolled fires can be devastating to woodlands, but controlled burning helps to maintain grasslands and can mitigate the destructive effects of the elephant appetite.
The ecology of Murchison Falls Conservation Area has suffered to two massive insults during the past fifty years. The first was the cumulative damage to woodlands induced by the huge over-population of elephants and the second was the indiscriminate slaughter of elephants and other animals between
1974 and 1988. Elephant densities were so large in the park and wildlife reserves that had the population been allowed to grow unchecked the woodlands would have been completely destroyed now. Culling elephants has allowed the woodlands to regenerate over the last 20 years, an ongoing process that can be witnessed all over the whole park.
The regrowth of woodlands represents the beginning of a natural cycle in which animal populations will also expand and gradually exert increased grazing and browsing pressure in the regenerating woodlands. Proper ecological management ought to prevent the pre- 1970s population catastrophe while at the same time ensuring that animals can be seen grazing in open grasslands, thereby encouraging continued income from tourism. Economics and ecology sustain each other. It is only by generating sufficient revenue that the park can afford to remain a tourist destination rather than farmland.
The park is recovering well from the devastation of both over-population of large herbivores and the ensuring slaughter of those animals. According to aerial surveys, woodlands now make up 75% of the park area, whereas 25 years ago the figure was about 18%. Animal populations are down about 90% compared with the estimates of the late 1960s, but there are plenty of young animals around and they are in excellent condition. The park is generally very healthy.