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Kanungu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The European Union (EU) has commissioned a 12-unit staff accommodation block at Ishasha in Queen Elizabeth National Park. The 325 million Shillings facility will aid rangers to fight poaching in the national park.
The project is part of a bigger USD 1.3 million (4.8 billion Shillings) three-year program implemented in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda. It also covers the training of judicial and law enforcement officers in both countries, the installation of camera traps inside the park and specialized training of wildlife crime analysts.
According to the EU Press Advisor Emmanuel Gyezaho, 80 per cent of the project cost was implemented in the DRC while 20 per cent is in Uganda. It was funded by the EU through the transboundary initiatives in the Virunga Mountains. The construction was implemented by International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKES).
The new rangers outpost is expected to support rangers in securing wildlife from poaching as well as safeguarding tourists visiting the area, given that the park has reported incidences of kidnappings. The Uganda-DRC border in Ishasha, Kanungu district is a known crossing point of illegal wildlife trade.
“Ishasha is famous all over the world for its unique tree-climbing lions but very few of them remain – I am told less than 30 – if they are not protected they will be no more and thus the area will become a scarcely attracting appendix of the Elizabeth National Park. I am sure we all do not want this to happen,” he explained, the EU Head of Delegation Ambassador Attilio Pacifici said at the commissioning event.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s second largest park and boasts of 95 known species of mammals including buffaloes, hippopotami, crocodiles, elephants, leopards, lions, jobs, old baboons and chimpanzees and over 620 species of birds. These make it highly susceptible to criminals and the ranger outpost will enhance security for wildlife and tourists.
Ambassador Pacifici said that the Tourism, conservation, wildlife and environmental protection are very deeply interconnected themes and activities in the country that have been badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
He added that despite the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 crisis, it also gave the county time to understand the importance and value of the tourism sector. The Ambassador raised concern about the growing incidences of illegal wildlife trade, with Uganda used as both a transit route and a source.
Col (Rtd) Tom Butime, the Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities emphasized that the rangers Outpost will be instrumental in strengthening law enforcement in Ishasha, an area which was identified as a hot spot for poaching.
Sam Mwandha, the Executive Director Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) said the commissioned 12 units now bring the total of available accommodation units to 344 out of the 450 units they would like to have in Queen Elizabeth National Park. He says that adequate accommodation facilities play a pivotal role in influencing staff morale and performance while protecting wildlife from threats of poaching within the stretch of the park.
The EU Heads of Mission are currently visiting tourist sites in Kanungu, Kasese, Fort Portal and other places in a bid to assess the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on the tourism sector.
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