The Influence of Biodiversity on the Utilisation of Uganda's Flora and Fauna in Ceramic Art Production

Abstract

This paper investigated the relationship between biodiversity and ceramic art production in Uganda, focusing on the utilisation of the country's diverse flora and fauna. Uganda's rich biodiversity, encompassing a variety of plant and animal species, has long been intertwined with its cultural heritage and artisanal traditions. Using a quasi-experimental design on a total sample of 420 respondents (i.e. the ceramic art makers and lovers) and t-sample test, the study revealed that there is a significant influence of biodiversity on ceramic art production in Uganda. The study further established that Uganda’s biodiversity provides both raw materials and symbolic inspiration essential for sustainable ceramic art production. However, environmental degradation, deforestation, and biodiversity loss threaten the sustainability of biodiversity-inspired ceramics. The study thus recommends that all stakeholders should be trained on how to interact and conserve biodiversity because this is the only way for the continuous production of attractive ceramic art products, hence having a vibrant ceramic art industry in Uganda.