1.
Putting the plans into action: early experiences
Countering wildlife crime: livelihoods, intelligence & prosecution capacity
building in Uganda
Funded by the UK Government through the IWT Challenge Fund

2.
CONTENTS
1. Project design - links to IIED research
1. Project objectives
1. Site selection
– MFCA
– QECA
1. Partners
1. Human-wildlife conflict community scouts
1. Alternative livelihoods “food gardens”
2. Early lessons
1. Questions

3.
PROJECT DESIGN
“Poor people are involved in IWT but tend not to be major drivers
or beneficiaries” (IIED 2015)
Developing sustainable livelihoods for communities affected by IWT:
• Pilot site schemes for MFCA and QECA park-adjacent communities developed to test
IIED research hypotheses
• Improved law enforcement and provision of alternatives combined needs to make
engaging in wildlife crime more negative than positive
• IIED research findings presented in May 2016 validated the approach – communities
cited wanting more emphasis on community conservation, e.g. livelihoods and HWC
interventions
• Aims to create best practice model that can be rolled out in other areas.
Strengthening law enforcement and the role of the criminal justice system:
• Training and supporting wildlife crime investigators and enforcement officers,
specifically focusing on intelligence and justice system to disrupt local "kingpins”,
consolidators etc.

4.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
1. Output i: Integrating community and conservation strategies for strategic
development, monitoring and evaluation
1. Output ii: Providing sustainable livelihood projects to the most vulnerable
communities
1. Output iii: Mitigating human-wildlife conflict and improving park relations
1. Output iv: Increase prosecutions of IWT suspects via intelligence and legal
sector capacity building

5.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
1. Output i: Integrating community and conservation strategies for strategic
development, monitoring and evaluation
1. Output ii: Providing sustainable livelihood projects to the most vulnerable
communities
1. Output iii: Mitigating human-wildlife conflict and improving park relations
1. Output iv: Increase prosecutions of IWT suspects via intelligence and legal
sector capacity building

6.
SITE SELECTION: MFCA
• Due to combination of high arrests, lodge
(market) proximity and organisational
footprint of SPE (implementing partner),
Buliisa District is the site for community
food garden project, with a focus on
Ngwedo Parish.
• High HWC data lead to establishing the
HWC community scouts pilot in Nwoya
District.
• Future fundraising will be sought by UCF to
support UWA community conservation work
needed in other areas.

7.
SITE SELECTION: QECA
• Majority of elephant poaching arrests (from
UWA and MIKE data) overlaid with crop
raiding incidents are concentrated in
Rubirizi District.
• Lodges are heavily concentrated along the
Bunyaraguru escarpment (see map
opposite).
• The additional pressure surrounding
traditional migratory routes along Kashoya-
Kitomi corridor need to be taken into
account.
• Exact pilot sites selected in conjunction
with UWA CC.

8.
PROJECT PARTNERS
Uganda Wildlife Authority:
• Long term partnership with UCF dating back to late 1990s on law enforcement and human
wildlife conflict interventions
• Main beneficiary and implementing partner
Soft Power Education:
• Ugandan NGO established in 1999 with three core thematic areas of alternative education,
education infrastructure and livelihoods
• Launched Buliisa project area in, built goodwill from community by building schools adjacent
to the MFPA and launched People & Parks livelihoods programme in 2010
Natural Resource Conservation Network:
• Ugandan NGO with investigations and prosecutions team tackling wildlife crime under MoU
with UWA since 2013
• UCF has partnered with NRCN since 2015, supporting capacity building, transboundary
information-sharing and investigations into high value ivory cases
International Institute for Environment and Development:
• UK-based policy and action research organisation, currently in Year 2 of their own IWT
project partnering with UWA on pro-poor policies to combatting wildlife crime
• Technical advisors to Tusk/UCF on this IWT project, to maximise continuity and apply
learnings from their research in practical interventions
Tusk Trust:
• Lead partner organisation based in UK and long-term donor and partner to UCF

9.
HWC COMMUNITY SCOUTS

10.
HWC COMMUNITY SCOUTS
• MFCA – Nwoya District
• QECA – Rubirizi District
• High levels of elephant crop raiding in both areas leading to
resentment and known elephant killings
• Nwoya: 2 x 25 member scouts groups, from existing pool of UWA
scouts
• Rubirizi: 5 x 5 member groups groups, no existing scouts network
• Implementing training, livelihoods and HWC mitigation activities in
both areas

11.
HWC COMMUNITY SCOUTS

12.
LIVELIHOODS – FOOD GARDENS

13.
LIVELIHOODS – FOOD GARDENS
• MFCA – Buliisa District (implemented by SPE)
• QECA – Rubirizi District
• 4 x 25 member community food gardens groups
• “Women-led” – minimum 60% women
• Training and savings schemes established for sustainability
• Organic gardens growing fruit and vegetables will supply local
tourism lodges, making the link between income and conservation

14.
LIVELIHOODS – FOOD GARDENS

15.
EARLY LESSONS
• Communities feel positive about being involved in
conservation
• Commitment to building a long-term partnership between
communities and conservation agencies is crucial
• Beneficiary communities need to be engaged and
consulted in development of solutions

16.
ANY QUESTIONS?