As lovers of Uganda’s nature we need a constant eye on its resources to ensure that they are conserved and protected well. It is therefore against this background that the Uganda Wildlife Authority comes in to play this crucial role. Uganda Wildlife Authority is a government agency that manages and conserve the Uganda’s wildlife. UWA was established to protect the Uganda’s biodiversity including national parks, wildlife reserves(game reserves) and protected areas.
Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) came into existence in 1996 following the merging of the Uganda National Parks and the Game Department, and the enactment of the Uganda Wildlife Statute, which became an Act in 2000.
UWA is mandated to ensure sustainable management of wildlife resources and supervise wildlife activities in Uganda both within and outside the protected areas. The agency oversees all the 10 national parks, 12-wildlife reserves. They have made a great significance to attract investors into the sector. The ten National Parks include Lake Mburo, Mount Elgon, Kidepo Valley, Murchison Falls, Kibale, Queen Elizabeth, Rwenzori Mountains, Semuliki, Mgahinga Gorilla, and Bwindi Impenetrable National Parks. These parks are located in the Rift valley, tropical and montane forests. This makes them to be with a variety of flora and fauna.
In addition to the national parks and reserves, UWA also manages five community wildlife management areas and 13 wildlife sanctuaries. Other services offered by Uganda Wildlife Authority include Ecosystem Management, Promoting Protected Areas as Tourism Destinations, Problem Animal Management , Wildlife Resource Protection, Monitoring & Research, Community Conservation Activities, Licensing for Wildlife Use. The Authority is working hand in hand with its stakeholders to combat some of the major challenges facing the management and conservation of wildlife and biodiversity in Uganda that include; poaching, competition in the regional tourism market, human-wildlife conflict and wildlife crimes.
UWA has also employed stakeholders, partners and communities that live around these protected areas to help tackle some of these issues. Formulation of Strategies within its management policies to help in the solving of these challenges has been undertaken by UWA.
All tourism activities such as gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga National parks, Mountain hiking, game viewing, bird watching and reach out to all other tourism spots in Uganda are managed by Uganda Wildlife Authority
UWA important contacts
Email: info@ugandawildlife.org
Plot 7 Kira Road
Kamwokya
P. O. Box 3530, Kampala Uganda
Tel: +256-414- 355000/+256-312-355000
Fax: +256-414-346291
Website: www.ugandawildlife.org
