The Minister of Tourism, Wildlife, and Antiquities Hon. Tom Butime has called on members of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) 10th Board of Trustees to devise strategies aimed at increasing the revenue generated by the agency during their just-started tenure.
Giving his remarks during the inauguration ceremony of the 10th Board of Trustees held at Sheraton Hotel, Kampala on Thursday, Hon. Butime said the members should work towards surpassing Shs 200 Billion in revenue, noting that this will be instrumental in streamlining the operation of the institution in fostering conservation.
The Covid-19 pandemic, Butime said, had a significant impact on UWA’s revenue; dropping from Shs 116 billion in 2018/2019 to just Shs 22 billion in 2020/2021 and the 2022/2023 revenue which is over Shs 120 billion.
“I challenge you to focus on growing Uganda Wildlife Authority revenue with a goal of surpassing Shs 200 Billion annually. This can be achieved through improved services, product diversification and revenue leakage among others,” the Minister said.
To this end, Prof. James Kalema, the new board chairman, said revenue generation has been and still is a challenge for Uganda Wildlife Authority, however, there are multipronged approaches the board will employ to minimize the revenue deficit.
Kalema said among such interventions is exploring neglected tourism products and novel packages that will widen the scope of what Uganda’s protected areas offer tourists.
“For example, we have what we call carnivorous plants in Uganda. These are flesh-eating plants. Not many people know about these interesting plants so we need to survey some of our wildlife areas and find out which are some of these unique untapped opportunities to develop new packages to interest tourists. We have bat caves; there are people with a keen interest in bats but to what extent have we promoted tourism based on bats, not that much. We need to explore all these opportunities which appear to be novel,” Kalema said.
He also noted that creating awareness about and fighting off invasive species in the protected areas will create more space and habitat for the native species to thrive. This, he said, will ensure the preservation and conservation of both flora and fauna species that make Uganda’s unique ecosystems.
“As far as biodiversity conservation is concerned, invasive species are one of the major challenges we have in our time. Invasive species have a tendency to suppress the indigenous species whether they are plants or other groups of organisms that depend on them. This is because they have the potential to spread and cover a large area within a very short period of time. This has an impact not only on the structure of the community but also the ecological functionality of the habitat,” he added.
Invasive species affecting Uganda’s protected areas include the water hyacinth and Salvinia Molesta both aquatic species which are widespread in some of the protected areas such as around the Nile in Murchison National Park. Other invasive species include but are not limited to Chromolaena odorata and Lantana Camara.
Balancing stakeholder interests
According to Hon. Butime, wildlife conservation involves numerous stakeholders, each with their own interests and it is crucial that the board appreciates these differing interests and learns to strike a balance that benefits both wildlife conservation and the stakeholders.
“This involves among others engaging communities living near the protected areas; and understanding their challenges and needs to increase their benefits from wildlife. The ultimate goal while dealing with stakeholders is that there is a win-win. However, if all fails, yours is to ensure that wildlife wins,” the Minister told the new Board.
The Minister noted that building strong working relationships with the communities that neighbor protected areas will foster strategies towards ending human-wildlife conflicts.
The newly appointed board; the 10th Board of Trustees for Uganda Wildlife Authority, was appointed effective September 1, 2023. The members of the new board are;
Prof. James Kalema – Chairman
Ms. Marion Pamela Tukahurirwa – Member
Dr. Stella Acaye Atim – Member
Dr. Daniel Aleper – Member
Ms. Annet Kobusinge Ireeba – Member
Prof. Simon Wanyama – Member
Mr. Raymond Engena – Member
Ms. Jane Bagonza – Member
Mr. George Owoyesigire – Member
Mr. Samuel John Mwandha – (ED/Secretary to Board)