Entebbe International Airport is located on a peninsula of LAKE Victoria, about 40km from Kampala-Uganda. Found at the Equator, the peninsula experiences two heavy rain seasons in the year. This, coupled with fertile and well drained soils, Entebbe generally supports important vegetation, providing food, shelter and breeding ground for several animal species. In fact, Entebbe is found on the migratory flyway of birds moving to and from the northern and southern hemispheres. In addition top avian wildlife, other animals like fruit bats have been sighted. Fortunately, only a small portion of these wildlife species like Marabou storks, Black Kites and Grey Crowned Cranes actually pose a threat towards aircraft safety, its crew and passengers.

The presence of fish on the lake attracts two types of fish eating birds; the first type catches the fish themselves such as the African Fish Eagle. The other type appreciates the easier option to hang around for left-over’s from fish factories and markets in surrounding communities. Black Kites and Marabou Storks are among the notorious scavenging species which in addition to feeding on fish will indulge in other food remain alternatives.

Entebbe Airport was first constructed around 1929 with the present terminal and runway constructed in the 1970s. Over time it grew from handling purely propeller driven aircraft to the largest modern aircraft such as Boeing 777 and Airbus 330. Its traffic has grown to over a million passengers per year.

To reduce the wildlife strike risk, the Bird Hazard and Wildlife Control Unit (BHWCU) of the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority has adopted a number of control measures focusing on environmental management ,as well as wildlife scare methods similar of what is done at other airports in the region and beyond .

Involving Stakeholders

Besides the Unit, is an Airport Bird Hazard Control Committee; composed of the BHWCU, other airport staff, local council leaders, Ministry in charge of agriculture, Board of Airline Representatives, etc. The regular committee meetings are meant to provide guidance and oversight to the BHWCU and make recommendations on garbage management as well as other land use practices that affect Entebbe Airport.

The Uganda Civil Aviation Authority has appreciated the need to involve as many stakeholders as possible in the management of wildlife at Entebbe .Currently the Uganda Wildlife Education Center, Entebbe Municipal Council, the Ministry in charge of agriculture and fisheries and Nature Uganda continue to offer remarkable support whenever they are called upon.

The Uganda Civil Aviation Authority is a member of Nature Uganda-a conservation organization .Its membership was intended first to give some guidance to the airport in adopting environmentally friendly practices considering that Entebbe is a gazette animal sanctuary and secondly to share useful information on the behavioral patterns of important species.

Although hazardous strikes usually manifest at or near the airport, the communities at and around the airport (about 8km radius) generate garbage that attracts birds and other wildlife.

For that and other reasons, participation of the people and communities living around the airport has been an integral part the wildlife hazard management as it should be at any airport.

The community based program at Entebbe International Airport is an understanding between the airport operator and the surrounding communities. The program generally focuses on two important aspects-monitoring and sensitization.

The Bird Hazard Wildlife Control Unit formulated its best practices for garbage management of which the community around the airports sensitized .This sensitization includes talks about wildlife, about managing the living environment of the wildlife (habitat) and about wildlife hazards to aviation.

There also is a program to have sensitization visits to schools directly around the airport with the belief that children may as well become interested in wildlife issues through education that includes the hazards to aviation, with a hope to have them share the information with their peers and start acting in ways that promotes control of these hazards.

The airport has contributed and still participates in community activities such as sanitation programs to foster good neighborly relations.

The community sensitization is followed by audits to ensure that the standards on which the communities are sensitized ,are followed .Such audits involve checks on fish factories,markets,fish landing sites, abattoirs and any other areas with a potential to attract birds and other wildlife.

The community program also involves discouragement of crop planting and other bird attracting land use practices in and around the airport .This is often done by airport staff or staff of other government departments living close to the airport (e.g. airport police).

There is a general feeling that crop cultivation in and around the airport should be outright forbidden as it attracts wildlife. But a study in 2012 commissioned by the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority will reveal whether certain crops can perhaps be allowed to be planted near the airport by nearby residents. With quite some people from those communities using such largely underutilized land directly around the airport for their live hood, allowing them to perhaps plant certain crops may be a way to enhance the relations with those surrounding communities.

Sensitization seminars of local community leaders are conducted to educate them on wildlife hazards and the contribution they can make towards their control. Locals are usually encouraged to share helpful information such as roosting behavior of wildlife in their communities.

Result

On the whole, the unit has registered a reduction in wildlife strike incidents since it was created in 1998. In that same year, the airport authority worked with the Municipal council to relocate a dump site about 15km away from the southern side of the airport which was originally less than 200m from the perimeter fence. The community based program, in addition to other measures and methods in place (e.g. use of pyrotechnics), has contributed to a remarkable reduction in wildlife strikes involving the scavenging Black Kite and Marabou Stork (about 9kg).It also shows strikes involving Fish Eagle have also been reduced. The fish eagle is known to feed on both fresh and dead fish .Generally speaking; there has been a downward trend in bird strike incidents involving scavenging bird species. The high rise in Black Kite incidents between 2001 and 2003, as depicted, may have been due to an increase in Barn swallow numbers of about 50% within the same period. During Barn Swallow migrations of 2001-2003, much larger numbers were hit compared to the previous year’s .Black Kites in turn came to the airfield in large numbers to feed on Barn Swallow dead material.

Challenges

A major challenge remains the conflict of interest between the surrounding communities and the airport: numerous people around the airport make a live hood from the gardens they have created near the airport. They feel unfairly treated when discouraged from planting their crops on what they perceive as underutilized land.

Most people around the airport do not directly benefit from the airport itself and therefore cannot easily be convinced to think of the interests of aviation safety. In most cases, however, they are also quite often totally unfamiliar with the risks that the birds that feed on their fields and garbage can pose to aircraft. As a result, they are often not bothered with airport programs. This is where community sensitization plays a role.

Illegal fishing in designated fishing grounds near the airport or under its approach paths means that the recommended practices of fish handling are not followed. Fish remains, that are frequently found after fishing, in such illegal fishing grounds, usually attract scavenging wildlife species.

Way Forward

In addition to seminars for local leaders ,there is need to sensitize people in larger groups like at open market bazaars with reference to recommended practices derived from the International Civil Aviation Organization regulations, Civil Aviation Act (1991) and other national land-use regulations.

An important part of the way forward will need to be brochures and posters telling people about the risks of wildlife and birds to aviation would, translated into the local language to effective towards a larger group of people.

In all, it’s crucial to not forget that the average citizen around an airport will need to be sensitized by the airport on hazards that wildlife poses.

At Entebbe International Airport Uganda, the Civil Aviation Authority has taken measures to reduce the wildlife strike risk by forming the Bird Hazard and Wildlife Control Unit focusing on environmental management ,as well as wildlife scare methods similar to what is done at other airports in the region and beyond. The community based program at Entebbe International Airport is an understanding between the airport operator and surrounding communities .This program generally focuses on two important aspects- monitoring and sensitization.

Anthony Juma is the Editor and Senior Aviation Director at Wings Over Africa Aviation Limited. <br><a href='http://www.wingsoverafrica-aviation.com’> This is an Air Charter Company that specializes on Private Charter Flights | Scheduled Air Flights |VIP Executive Business Jet Charter Flights & Air News On Airport Management & Community Participation At Entebbe Airport Uganda.. </a> The website has guided thousands of travelers to achieve their dream holiday. For more information and guidance, visit the site at http://www.wingsoverafrica-aviation.com/index.php/flight-news.html </a>