Lessons learnt from 20 years of revenue sharing at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda

For the past 20 years a revenue-sharing scheme has been in place for communities surrounding Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. This learning evaluation looks at how revenue sharing might become more effective and more equitable.

Using three dimensions of equity — recognition, procedure and distribution — the research explores funding flows, beneficiary targeting, monitoring and reporting, governance structures, project type and selection processes, understanding of equity, trade-offs between equity and effectiveness, and the pathways to conservation impact. Although this study focuses on one specific protected area in Uganda, many of the findings are relevant to revenue-sharing schemes in other protected areas within Uganda and beyond.