Uganda - NatureUganda (NU)

Founded in: 1909
Members: 400
Staff: 7
Address: The EANHS, P O Box 27034, Kampala, UG
Email: nature@natureuganda.org
Web: www.natureuganda.org

Mission of the organisation

To promote the understanding, appreciation and conservation of nature

Key Activities

The current programme focuses on contributing to the understanding, appreciation and conservation of nature, using 2 approaches:

• Conservation action through research, education, interventions and advocacy
• Promoting awareness and appreciation of natural history

Species, Sites and Habitat Conservation Action

• Identification of IBAs and research on specific species, eg. the breeding success of Grey-headed Gulls. Also, jointly with MUIENR, implementing a project which is looking at other taxa to qualify the notion that IBAs are actually Important Biodiversity Areas. Stakeholder analysis highlighting the issues and challenges that surround IBAs as envisaged by the various stakeholders
• Leverage action for key sites and species: eg. we have acquired funding through the UNDP/GEF Small Grants for Musambwa Island, one of the IBAs in the Sango Bay area, and from the RSPB small grants for Nabajjuzi Swamp, another IBA. NatureUganda also hosts the African Species Working Group, which is currently developing species action plans for cross-border threatened species

Research and Monitoring

• Annual IBA monitoring
• Water bird counts at 16 wetland sites around the country every January and July
• Inventories of sites that are important for some forms of biodiversity, but do not necessarily qualify under the IBA set-up: eg. Tororo rock, : a site important to Aloe Tororoana, which is endemic to Uganda

Natural History Information Dissemination

• Production of IBA directory and poster
• Publication of a regular newsletter The Naturalist
• Production of The Popular Bird Book, mainly for school children

Pan African Ornithological Congress

This is a quadrennial meeting of scientists promoting research and conservation of the birds of the African Continent. The meeting brings together experienced and up coming ornithologists to promote collaboration between various scientists. This is especially important for upcoming ornithologists. The tenth edition, the first fully bilingual (French and English) versionm was hosted by NatureUganda . The meeting brought together 300 scientists and conservationists from all over the world.

Membership

Developing a cadre of individuals or groups of individuals who will promote conservation issues both at a national level and at site level (referred to as Site Support Groups).

Recent Achievements

• Identified a total of 30 IBAs in the country, and carried out active conservation work at four of these sites
• Negotiated for the establishment of a site management committee at Lutembe Bay, an IBA that currently lacks an agency responsible for its protection. The site holds huge numbers of waterbirds, including up to 2 million White-winged Black Terns. Proposals are being developed to encourage responsible ecotourism
• With GEF support, held workshops to highlight the non-sustainable egg-collecting activities of local people on Grey-headed Gull colonies on the Musambwa Islands
• At Nabajjuzi Wetland, southern Uganda, helped to develop an ecotourism facility to generate income for local community development initiatives.
• With Albertine Rift Conservation Society funding, helped to formulate and implement an initiative between local communities for the collaborative management of Echuya Forest Reserve IBA