Uganda Conservation Foundation

Description

Uganda Conservation Foundation, known as UCF, is a UK-registered charity and not-for-profit organisation in Uganda protecting national parks, protected areas and conservancies.

It was founded in 2001 by Michael Keigwin, who started by working on human-elephant conflict in Queen Elizabeth National Park. UCF works closely with the Uganda Wildlife Authority, a government agency responsible for conserving and regulating the country’s wildlife, along with other local and international partners. It is active in Murchison Falls National Park, Kidepo Valley National Park, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and Queen Elizabeth National Park.

UCF supports park recovery by helping the Wildlife Authority manage protected areas, reduce poaching and tackle wildlife crime, providing rangers with training, equipment and infrastructure such as ranger posts, marine stations and veterinary labs. It invests in wildlife conservation infrastructure so ranger patrols and veterinary teams can reach remote areas and treat injured animals. It also supports capacity building for wildlife veterinarians in Uganda’s protected areas.

The organisation works with communities living near parks to promote livelihoods compatible with wildlife and to reduce conflict between people and animals, engaging schools and cultural institutions to build lasting support for conservation. It has run anti-poaching programmes including surveillance systems, a law enforcement and operations centre, and newer efforts using GPS-tagged vultures and satellite tracking to flag potential poaching threats.