The Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with World Wide Fund for Nature(WWF) to scale up conservation efforts in Uganda.
The MOU was signed on Friday at the ministry offices in Kampala and it will see both entities cooperate in formulation of policies, standards, plans, strategies, programs and guidelines on wildlife conservation, conservation education, sensitisation and raising awareness on wildlife conservation and tourism development.
The MOU will also see both parties support each other in research, monitoring and capacity development in wildlife conservation and tourism development and collaboration in strengthening law enforcement for effective wildlife management.
The Ministry of Tourism Permanent Secretary, Doreen Katusiime described it as a significant milestone in collective efforts to conserve Uganda’s wildlife and promote sustainable tourism development.
“This relationship represents our common commitment to wildlife conservation and the development of the tourism industry, both of which are critical to our country's economic growth and sustainability. It is crucial that we continue to work hand in hand towards these noble goals, as they not only benefit us today, but also pave the way for a brighter and more sustainable future for generations to come,” Katusiime said.
She hailed WWF for its role in providing assistance for several conservation and development activities in Uganda through conservation and community livelihood enterprises, climate change mitigation, biodiversity research, conservation education and public awareness campaigns that aim to inspire action and build sense of environmental responsibility.
According to government, these efforts have greatly contributed to conservation of Uganda's wildlife resources and the improvement of local lives, leaving a lasting influence in communities.
The Permanent Secretary said her ministry has made several commitments to citizens including reducing the rate of biodiversity, human- wildlife conflicts, illegal activities in geographical locations, and spread of invasive species, reduction of vulnerability of and socio-economic disparities among indigenous people and local communities in and around protected landscapes.
“We are also committed to increasing production and productivity of livelihoods in communities neighboring protected areas; and increasing levels of tourist and visitor satisfaction; and revenue contribution to GDP,” Katusiime said.
She noted that the new MOU will now come in handy to fufill these commitments.
The WWF Country director, Ivan Ahimbisibwe said WWF and the Ministry of Tourism , Wildlife and Antiquities have in the past collaborated but noted that the MOU is making this formal.
He mentioned conservation efforts in Kalinzu forest, Ichuya and Budongo forests as some of the areas where they have worked in terms of conservation.
“We applaud government efforts like putting up of an electric fence to deter elephants from crossing over to the communities which are doing a great job and many other efforts. This MOU means we are making our collaboration efforts formal and we shall do more together to conserve,” Ahimbisibwe said.
Prasanna De Silva, the Executive Director, WWF Country Offices said the NGO which is present in 100 countries around the world said they are happy for a longtime partnership as they continue to support government’s conservation efforts.
“We want to work in a harmonised approach to achieve goals. Conservation has grown since there was a time when it was only about protected areas and not communities. We have for many years been emphasizing inclusive conservation of protecting specials and natural resources but also supporting communities in their natural needs to ensure they put pressure off natural resources,” De Silva said.
He noted that through conservation, they wish to continue emphasizing that co-existence of nature and people is crucial for everyone.
