Uganda’s approach to conservation took center stage on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, at the Conference of Parties (CoP) in Baku, where Samuel John Mwandha, Executive Director of Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), highlighted the transformative role of Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) in tackling ecological and economic challenges.
Speaking during a high-profile panel session titled “Use of Nature to Protect Nature: Nature-Based Solutions for Eco-Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), Eco-Tourism, and Blue Economy,” Mwandha shared the remarkable story of how Uganda and its regional partners reversed the perilous decline of mountain gorilla populations, turning a conservation crisis into a global success story.
A Beacon of Transboundary Collaboration The panel’s focus on transboundary landscapes provided a perfect platform for Uganda to showcase its leadership within the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration (GVTC).
This tri-national partnership, which unites Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has been instrumental in the resurgence of the endangered mountain gorillas.
The Executive Director of Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) recounted how the global mountain gorilla population had dropped to less than 400 by 1990, due to factors such as war, disease, poaching, and habitat destruction.
Through GVTC, the three nations developed innovative NbS-driven strategies that have now pushed the population to over 1,063, according to the most recent census in 2018.
“The collaboration between these three countries is a shining example of how borders need not divide conservation efforts but instead can unite them for shared success,” he said.
Mwandha emphasized the role of eco-tourism as a pivotal driver of both conservation and community development. Programs such as gorilla tracking and habituation have turned wildlife into a sustainable economic resource for communities. By ensuring that revenues are shared with local populations, these programs have created a vested interest in conservation.
Additionally, innovative measures have been implemented to mitigate human-wildlife conflict. These include:
- Constructing stone walls and installing electric fences.
- Planting tea along park boundaries to discourage gorilla incursions.
- Forming Human-Gorilla Mitigation Groups (HuGo) to address crop damage.
“These solutions not only protect the gorillas but also uplift the communities living around the parks, fostering a mutually beneficial relationship,” he noted.
Uganda’s eco-tourism model, rooted in nature-based solutions, has emerged as a global best practice. Revenue generated from gorilla tracking permits and related activities has funded conservation efforts and improved livelihoods for surrounding communities.
“The success of eco-tourism shows how nature can pay for its protection while creating jobs and reducing poverty,” Mwandha noted.
As the panel explored the broader potential of NbS for tackling global challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss, Uganda’s achievements served as a case study of how integrating communities into conservation efforts can yield lasting results.
“Conservation must go beyond protecting wildlife—it must also protect and empower the people who live alongside it,” Mwandha said in his closing remarks.
The panel, which included notable experts such as Charles Karangwa (Global Head of NbS, IUCN) and Dr. Ladislaus Kyaruzi (Songwe River Basin Commission), called r global collaboration and knowledge sharing to scale up NbS initiatives.
With its pioneering efforts in eco-tourism and transboundary conservation, Uganda is proving that nature-based solutions are not only viable but transformative for both ecosystems and economies.
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