In western Uganda, a population of about 300 wild chimpanzees cling to survival in disappearing habitat around villages and towns in the neighbouring districts of Hoima and Kikuube. Since the 1990s, most natural forest in this region has been cut down for timber and converted to farmland, as farmers seek to improve their livelihoods and provide for their families. However, deforestation has caused escalating conflicts between villagers and the resident chimpanzees, which now compete with each other for space and resources.

The Bulindi Chimpanzee and Community Project (BCCP) was started in 2015 to conserve the chimpanzees in Hoima and Kikuube districts, and support local households, to aid more peaceful coexistence. They offer local people livelihood alternatives to deforestation, sponsor village savings groups, invest in children’s education, promote tree planting and natural forest conservation, and help improve quality of life through constructing water boreholes in villages and providing households with energy cook stoves. In parallel, we monitor and study the region’s unique ‘village chimpanzees’ to understand and mitigate threats to their survival.

Since 2018, BCCP has implemented a ‘Football for Conservation’ programme. Football is enormously popular in Uganda and many villages have local teams. Using the universal language and popularity of football, our football league allows us to engage with young men (aged between 15–25 years), who are often involved in forest degradation activities such as charcoal burning and timber cutting. By sponsoring local football teams with kits and balls, and arranging matches and tournaments, the program helps demonstrate to local communities that we are invested in them and their youth. Additionally, the tournaments provide an ideal platform to convey messages about environmental issues, the chimpanzees and conservation to a large audience, helping to reduce misconceptions and mitigating tension between local residents and chimpanzees.