Uganda Wildlife Authority and the Wildlife Conservation Society have signed a ten-year agreement to care for the Ishasha Sector of Queen Elizabeth Protected Area. The plan combines the authority’s stewardship with WCS technical and conservation expertise.
The partners will work on wildlife protection, habitat restoration, tourism development, and ways to reduce conflict between people and wildlife. Ishasha is part of the Greater Virunga Landscape, a biodiverse region that links protected areas and forests across Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Ishasha is known for its tree-climbing lions, but its lion population has fallen sharply from an estimate of about 80 in the 1970s. Restoring the population will be a central goal of the partnership.
If science shows it is needed, the partners may carefully move lions into the area in consultation with nearby communities and in line with Ugandan law and international conservation guidance. The agreement builds on more than five decades of cooperation.
