By KT Reporter
Uganda on Monday joined the global community to celebrate United Nations World Wildlife Day 2026 in Entebbe, highlighting the country’s rich biodiversity, the importance of medicinal and aromatic plants, and the critical role of conservation in sustainable development and livelihoods.
Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja represented President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, reading his address that underscored the urgent need to halt environmental degradation and safeguard the nation’s natural heritage.
The President’s message warned that climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation, habitat destruction, and pollution are threatening ecosystems worldwide.
Extreme weather events are estimated to cause more than $155 billion in annual damages globally. Uganda is facing similar pressures from unplanned development, population growth, agricultural expansion, and pollution. Forest cover has declined from 24 percent in 1990 to 13 percent in 2025, while wetland cover has dropped from 15.5 percent in 1994 to 8.9 percent by 2020.
“We have also lost important, rare, and endemic plant and animal species. We must halt the observed degradation and potential depletion of our natural resources,” the message emphasized.
The Minister of Wildlife Tourism and Antiquities, Tom Butime, highlighted this year’s World Wildlife Day theme: “Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Conserving Health, Heritage and Livelihoods”.
He said these plants are foundational to human health, ecological balance, cultural heritage, and economic opportunity. “Across Uganda, from the villages of Karamoja to the islands of Lake Victoria, medicinal plants are part of daily life, family knowledge, and community survival,” Butime said.
He cited species such as Prunus africana (used to treat prostate conditions), Warburgia ugandensis (for respiratory and immune support), Mondia hutei, Aloe vera, and Artemisia annua as examples of Uganda’s plant wealth. He warned that unsustainable harvesting, deforestation, habitat loss, and climate change threaten these vital species, noting that over 20 percent of medicinal and aromatic plants used globally are listed as threatened on the IUCN Red List.
“When a medicinal plant disappears, we lose not only a species but also knowledge, income, and options for future generations,” he said. At the same event, Uganda Wildlife Authority Executive Director James Musinguzi reported encouraging trends in wildlife populations.
Large mammal numbers, including buffalo and Uganda kob, have increased significantly between 2022 and 2025. Species recovery efforts include reintroducing rhinos to Ajai Wildlife Reserve and plans to return them to Kidepo Valley National Park, boosting both conservation and tourism. UWA has strengthened protection through intelligence-led anti-poaching operations.
Minister Butime emphasized community-centered conservation. Programs promoting revenue-sharing, collaborative management, sustainable cultivation of medicinal plants, and documentation of indigenous knowledge are enabling rural households, particularly women and youth, to benefit economically from protecting biodiversity. Entebbe Municipality also reaffirmed its commitment to conservation.
Mayor Fabrice Bradley Rolinda, through a written message, described wildlife protection as “deeply personal” for the municipality, which hosts the Uganda Wildlife Education Center (UWEC), a key institution in wildlife education and tourism. The mayor pledged closer collaboration on infrastructure, tourism promotion, and environmental management. Uganda remains one of the world’s top biodiversity hotspots, home to over half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas.
The President’s address emphasized that conservation must be central to long-term economic growth, particularly through tourism, and aligned with Uganda’s constitutional mandate to protect natural resources for the benefit of all citizens.
“Conservation is not only about animals but also about plants that sustain ecosystems, support health systems, preserve cultural traditions, and provide livelihoods for many Ugandans,” the President said.
The event brought together ministers, diplomats, conservation partners, cultural leaders, private sector players, media, and students described as “young conservationists in the making,” reinforcing the shared national responsibility to safeguard Uganda’s natural heritage.
According to the UN, people everywhere rely on wildlife and biodiversity-based resources to meet our needs – from food, to fuel, medicines, housing, and clothing.
For us to enjoy the benefits and the beauty that nature brings us and our planet, people have been working together to make sure ecosystems are able to thrive, and plant and animal species are able to exist for future generations.
The theme of the 2026 International Day, “Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Conserving Health, Heritage and Livelihoods”, highlighted the vital role of these plants in sustaining human health, cultural heritage, and local livelihoods, and showcases the growing pressures they face from habitat loss, overharvesting, and climate change.
World Wildlife Day is an opportunity to celebrate the many beautiful and varied forms of wild fauna and flora, to raise awareness of their many benefits, and to remind us of the urgent need to step up the fight against wildlife crime and human-induced reduction of species, which have wide-ranging economic, environmental, and social impacts
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