Uganda’s conservation story is often told through its spectacular wildlife—mountain gorillas in Bwindi, elephants in Murchison Falls, tree-climbing lions in Queen Elizabeth National Park and the countless bird species that have earned the country its reputation as the Pearl of Africa.
Yet long before national parks, wildlife laws and ranger patrols existed, many Ugandan communities had already developed their own conservation systems. Clan totems, sacred forests, protected wetlands and cultural beliefs discouraged the destruction of wildlife and natural habitats, making conservation as much a cultural obligation as it was a way of life.
Over the years, however, conservation has evolved from traditional stewardship to a more structured system built around protected areas, scientific management and law enforcement. While these efforts have helped restore populations of species such as mountain gorillas and elephants, they have also highlighted a critical lesson: lasting conservation cannot rely on enforcement alone. It requires communities to see wildlife not as a burden, but as part of their heritage and a source of sustainable livelihoods.
That is the philosophy driving the Uganda Wildlife Authority’s renewed focus on community conservation. In an exclusive interview with SoftPower News, Commissioner for Community Conservation and Ex-Situ Wildlife Services, David Musingo, reflects on Uganda’s conservation journey, the growing role of culture and education in protecting nature, and why reconnecting people—especially young Ugandans—with their natural heritage may be the country’s most powerful conservation strategy.
Interviewer: Please explain your role at Uganda Wildlife Authority.
David Musingo: I am the Commissioner for Community Conservation and Ex-Situ Wildlife Services at the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).
Ex-situ wildlife services refer to wildlife managed outside its natural habitat, such as zoos, botanical gardens, and other facilities where animals are cared for under human management. This is different from in-situ conservation, which refers to wildlife protected within national parks and wildlife reserves.
My department oversees several key areas, including conservation education and community awareness, human-wildlife conflict management, community benefits and wildlife enterprises, as well as ex-situ conservation.
For example, compensation for wildlife damage—whether animals destroy crops, injure or kill people—is handled under my department. We also manage the revenue-sharing programme through which communities neighbouring protected areas receive 20 percent of park entry fees to support local development.
Q: Conservation education has become one of UWA’s priorities. What exactly does it involve?
Musingo: Conservation education is about imparting knowledge and skills that enable people to understand nature and eventually take action to protect it. Education has three components: knowledge, understanding, and action. At UWA, we summarise this through the CUA model—Connect, Understand and Act.
Whenever we engage communities, schools or young people, we follow those three principles. First, people must connect with nature. Then they must understand why it matters. Finally, they should act by planting trees, managing waste responsibly, protecting habitats and making environmentally responsible decisions. That model has become the cornerstone of conservation education in Uganda.
Even before the merger (the newly integrated UWA and Uganda Wildlife Education Centre-UWEC framework), which created the new UWA, we had developed a National Conservation Education Strategy. We are now reviewing it to align it with the new institutional structure.
Personally, I believe conservation education is the most sustainable approach to wildlife conservation. If people genuinely understand why nature matters, government will spend less on law enforcement. We will rely less on guns, fewer rangers will be needed to police communities, and conservation will become something communities willingly participate in rather than something enforced through fear.
Q: Is the merger helping UWA move toward that community-driven conservation model?
Musingo: Absolutely.
The new UWA is investing heavily in professional staff, equipment and outreach. Today, we have trucks moving across the country carrying conservation education programmes into schools and communities.
Recently, we have been in Lira, Karamoja, Karenga and throughout the Bugisu region, helping people understand that conserving wildlife is not a burden—it is an opportunity.
We also promote alternative livelihoods so communities can benefit from ecosystems without destroying forests, wetlands or wildlife habitats.
Q: Are there places where communities have successfully shifted from threatening wildlife to protecting it?
Musingo: Yes, there are many success stories.
Around Bwindi, communities now appreciate the value of mountain gorillas because tourism directly benefits them through revenue sharing and community projects.
Closer to Kampala, at Mabamba Wetland, local youth are actively protecting shoebills because they earn income as birding guides. They understand that without the shoebills, their livelihoods disappear.
That is exactly the kind of conservation mindset we want to promote.
Uganda truly deserves the title “Pearl of Africa.” God blessed this country with extraordinary natural wealth, and our responsibility is to use it sustainably.
Q: Human-wildlife conflict remains one of the biggest conservation challenges. Long before wildlife laws existed, our ancestors protected nature through culture, totems and sacred places. Can those traditions still help conservation today?
Musingo: Certainly.
In my own community, although our clan identity is not directly linked to a particular animal, we have sacred cultural sites where snakes, trees and other natural features are protected because they are part of important rituals.
Certain plants used during traditional ceremonies, like circumcision, are also protected because they are culturally significant.
These beliefs discouraged people from destroying nature.
For example, in our community, children were told never to kill frogs because doing so would bring misfortune to their mothers. Whether scientifically true or not, those beliefs prevented unnecessary destruction of wildlife.
Such cultural values helped conserve biodiversity long before modern conservation laws existed. That is why culture forms an important pillar in Uganda’s conservation strategy today.
Q: So traditional beliefs and totems can still support conservation?
Musingo: Absolutely.
One of the biggest challenges today is that many people have become disconnected from both culture and nature. That is why UWA is promoting conservation through cultural values.
We have already supported cultural documentation and publications, and we intend to expand this work across the country.
Young people, especially, need to reconnect with culture. Many have grown up without understanding traditional conservation practices, yet culture contains valuable lessons about living harmoniously with nature.
Q: Can stories from communities like the Batwa and the Karamojong help reconnect young people with nature?
Musingo: Definitely.
Those stories help young people understand where they come from and how closely African cultures have always been connected to nature.
Culture is also a tourism product.
You can find lions in several countries around the world, but Ugandan cultures are unique. The traditions of the Batwa, Karamojong and many other communities cannot be replicated elsewhere. If properly preserved and promoted, culture can become a major driver of ecotourism.
We have already supported Batwa communities through the World Bank project, and although that project is ending, UWA has allocated resources to continue supporting such communities because preserving culture also strengthens conservation.
Q: Has commercialisation changed traditional hunting practices?
Musingo: Very much.
Historically, bushmeat hunting was largely for household consumption. People hunted selectively and sparingly. They would kill one mature animal, preserve the meat and then wait before hunting again.
Today, hunting has become commercial.
Poachers kill indiscriminately—young, old, breeding animals—without allowing wildlife populations to recover. That is why some species are declining. Commercial bushmeat hunting poses a far greater threat than traditional subsistence hunting ever did.
Q: Yet the latest wildlife reports show mixed trends. Should Ugandans be worried?
Musingo: Overall, many wildlife populations are actually increasing.
Elephants have grown from around 2,000 individuals several decades ago to approximately 6,000 today.
Mountain gorillas continue to increase.
Uganda kob populations are also growing.
Because of these successes, we now translocate some animals to parks where populations need strengthening. For example, wildlife has been moved from Kidepo and Murchison Falls to Ajai Wildlife Reserve and other protected areas to restore ecological balance.
Buffaloes, elephants, waterbucks, bushbucks and several antelope species are doing well.
However, predators—especially lions in Kidepo—remain a concern, and UWA is implementing strategies to rebuild those populations.
Q: People often celebrate wildlife but rarely recognise the rangers protecting it. How important are they?
Musingo: Rangers are essential.
They work in some of the country’s most remote and difficult environments.
Without them, many of Uganda’s protected areas simply would not survive. Some have even lost their lives protecting forests like Mount Elgon from illegal encroachment.
Every snare removed, every poacher arrested, and every wildlife rescue reflects the dedication of our frontline staff.
They deserve far greater recognition.
Q: Do you think the public fully appreciates the sacrifices rangers make?
Musingo: Not enough.
That is why opportunities like this interview are valuable.
Through media platforms, we can help Ugandans understand the difficult and dangerous work our rangers perform every day.
Q: Finally, what message would you give to young Ugandans growing up in cities who feel disconnected from nature?
Musingo: Nature affects every single one of us, whether we realise it or not.
COVID-19 reminded the world how closely human wellbeing is linked to nature. Many people living comfortably in cities believe wildlife conservation has nothing to do with them. That is not true. Environmental degradation eventually affects everyone.
Conservation starts with simple actions.
Dispose of waste responsibly.
Plant indigenous trees.
Protect wetlands.
Do not clear every tree simply because you own land.
Wetlands, forests and trees provide oxygen, regulate climate and support human life.
During COVID-19, many people realised how valuable oxygen truly is. Nature provides it freely every day.
Uganda is extraordinarily blessed.
It is rightly called the Pearl of Africa—a country gifted by nature.
If you travel the world, you appreciate just how special Uganda is.
God gave us this beautiful country.
Our responsibility is not only to enjoy it but also to protect it for future generations.