Africa-Press – Uganda. Human-wildlife conflict is a major challenge in conservation in Uganda with over 60 per cent of its wildlife population living outside the protected areas.
Due to this, the government has come out to develop approaches to enable wildlife to co-exist peacefully with humans.
Mr Sammy Leseita, the head of livelihoods at Northern Rangeland Trust, a community conservation in Kenya, said the government should sensitise the communities about peaceful co-existence with wildlife and should be able to give back something as a token of appreciation.
“The idea behind the Community Conservancy Model is to organize the communities to be able to negotiate with the government about their priorities once they agree to co-exist with the wildlife,” he said, during an interview with NTV Uganda.
Collaboration between governments and private players is not just about the protection of wildlife, and natural resources like forests but also has had a great impact on the communities and the economy.
Dr Gladys Kalema, a veterinary conservationist, urges the government to invest in wildlife conservation because it contributes a lot to the country’s revenue.
“The gorillas alone bring about 60 per cent of revenue for the whole wildlife industry in Uganda. The government has to put aside money to support other agencies like NEMAs, UWA, Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre to conserve wildlife,” she said during a brief interview at the launch of her memoir “walking with gorillas” recently.
Mr Peter Matunge, Chief Executive Officer of Laikipia Conservancies Association in Kenya said that like in Kenya, the Ugandan government should involve the communities in wildlife conservation.
“Wildlife ownership management should be given to communities so as to control the interests of our future generation. Strengthening community participation in conservation benefits both the wildlife (preventing deaths), and the community by getting infrastructure from tourism revenues,” he stated.
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