Uganda faces many environmental challenges as it strives to create a sustainable future for its citizens. Conservation and challenges in Uganda include high population growth, deforestation, lack of alternative fuel sources, wildlife trafficking and expanded oil exploration in the unique Albertine Rift Valley. Climate change and variability is also impacting the livelihoods of many Ugandans. USAID emphasizes building the capacity of communities and Ugandan institutions (such as the Uganda Wildlife Authority, the National Forestry Authority and the Ministry of Water and the Environment) to tackle these issues.

USAID aims to reduce threats to natural resources and biodiversity in ecologically sensitive areas in the country and improve the capacity of Ugandans to adapt to the impacts of climate change and variability. To achieve this, USAID focuses on environmental protection, biodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation.

In an effort to effectively contribute to biodiversity conservation, USAID partners with public and private sector institutions and other stakeholders to  mitigate the environmental impacts of oil and gas exploration, establish a sustainable source of conservation funding, improve management of protected areas and improve monitoring and enforcement to combat wildlife trafficking and crime. USAID Uganda climate change programming supports resilience by directly enabling researchers and decision-makers to be climate smart and adaptive when it comes to development investments. Because of the inextricable link between climate change impacts and agriculture, USAID is directly addressing projected climate change impacts in agriculture, along with other intertwined key development sectors and investments like biodiversity, health, energy and water by supporting investments in relevant research, education and improvement of the quality, access, availability and use of meteorological data that is useful for multiple development sectors. USAID also focuses on strengthening the capacity of government agencies at the national and district level, the private sector and civil society organizations to implement climate-smart programs and projects that have local solutions.

As a result of USAID’s work, Uganda’s area of biological significance has increased through improved conditions of wetlands, watersheds, forests and national park lands. Conserving these resources and improving adaptive capacity to climate change is essential for sustaining growth in both the tourism and agriculture sectors.