We Must Conserve Wildlife on our Land-Local Communities Declare
In Uganda, wildlife outside Protected Areas (PAs) is virtually all over the country and this explains why Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) as a Government agency in charge of wildlife in the country has a statutory obligation to manage and conserve wildlife regardless of whether it is within or outside PAs. For quite sometime, UWA’s conservation efforts have largely concentrated on PAs due to financial and human resources constraints leaving wildlife outside PAs to the whims of illegal hunters.
UWA in its various policy documents and mission recognizes that wildlife survival requires community participation and involvement in its management and conservation endeavors and as a result Education and Awareness is one of the programmes in the Uganda Wildlife Policy and a strategy in its Community Conservation efforts.

Therefore starting in 2000, community involvement was piloted as a Collaborative Management (CM) arrangement in ranches around Lake Mburo National Park (LMNP) and in Kabwoya Wildlife Reserve (KWR) and Kaiso-Tonya Community Wildlife Area (KTCWA) and lessons learnt show that communities render their support towards wildlife management and conservation after realizing tangible benefits from wildlife. We therefore expect the same in other area where Collaborative Management is being done.

As one way of implementing the lessons learnt and in a bid to involve various stakeholders especially communities in wildlife management, UWA has been conducting Conservation Education and Awareness programmes in the districts of Luwero, Nakaseke, Nakasongola and Amuru. The consensus reached between UWA and various stakeholders resulted into formation of Wildlife Associations at the various levels and thereafter negotiations with competent private firms to manage wildlife on community lands.

On 27th August 2008, UWA signed tripartite agreement s with the Local Governments of Luwero and Nakaseke Districts and a private company, Uganda Wildlife Safaris for the management of wildlife in these districts. The newly formed Luwero and Nakaseke District Wildlife Associations also signed the agreements. Two more agreements were recently signed with the Local Governments of Nakasongola and Amuru Districts and Uganda Wildlife Safaris. Again, the District Wildlife Associations of the two districts also signed the agreements. The Amuru agreement will however concentrate on the Aswa-Lolim area where wildlife populations are quite significant.

Earlier, in May 2008, another agreement was signed between Kalangala District Local Government, Ssese Island Community Association, UWA and Lake Albert Safaris in May 2008 for the management of wildlife in the district.

The investor is expected to provide services that will bring returns in order to economically benefit the stakeholders particularly the local communities. Such services will include photographic safaris, horseback riding, bird watching, sport hunting, wing shooting, nature walk/hiking, game viewing and employment opportunities, both direct and indirect. Infrastructure development will also be undertaken by the investor such as construction of campsites and roads.

UWA is continuing to carry out sensitization in Collaborative Management the districts of Kitgum, Kiboga and Masindi all of which have large wildlife populations.

The Executive Director of Uganda Wildlife Authority, Mr. Moses Mapesa said collaborative management has proved very effective in ensuring local support for wildlife. “This is going to mark the beginning of solving the issue of problem animals, and it will also help to promote tourism in the partner districts,� Mapesa said during a recent signing ceremony.

The Director of Conservation, Mr. Sam Mwandha said the procurement process in identifying the private sector partner was transparent and rigorous.

“For a long time, wild animals have been hunted illegally for meat, while at the same time they have caused damage to people’s crops and property. The agreements we have signed will ensure there is professionalism in the way things are done. There will be job creation and increased revenue generation opportunities for the people in these districts,� Mwandha said.

source:www.ugandawildlife.org