Scientific African (Jun 2024)
Forest users' perceptions and institutional dynamics during covariate health-related shocks: Lessons from the Busitema Forest Reserve in Uganda
Abstract
Increased dependency on the forest has resulted in rapid transformation of forest landscapes; this has been identified in the extensive literature as a significant mechanism for the spread of several zoonotic diseases, including the Ebola and COVID-19 viruses. Empirical evidence suggests the need for active management of forest resource access as a holistic path towards curbing spillovers, placing forest management institutions at the epicentre of regulating forest resource use and preventing zoonotic spillovers. Yet, there is scant evidence on the pattern of institutional change in the context of health shocks in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. This validates the need for context-specific evidence on the perceptions of forest users regarding the triggers of spillovers around forest-based communities and how forest management institutions respond to such shocks. As a contribution, we draw on descriptive statistics and narratives to: (a) analyze the perceptions of forest users regarding the triggers of covariate health-related stocks such as Ebola and COVID-19, (b) characterize forest-related institutional influence on forest management and (c) compare institutional response approaches towards the Ebola virus disease and the COVID-19 pandemic. The study employed a random sampling of 135 households, focus group discussions (n = 4), and expert interviews (n = 8) to generate relevant empirical data. The findings indicate that forest users identify the consumption of bushmeat and human-wildlife contact as the primary triggers of Ebola and COVID-19. Also, the COVID-19 and Ebola virus induced forest management institutional response, which assumed similar patterns. However, the degree of change largely depended on the scale and impact of the shock; COVID-19 induced more institutional responses than Ebola. The study establishes uniformity in the pattern of forest management institutional response to health shocks, providing relevant policy insights for forest settings during health shock events.
