ARUA — The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has called for closer collaboration between government agencies, security institutions and communities in West Nile to strengthen efforts against wildlife and forest-related crimes.
The call was made during the eighth strategic awareness and engagement meeting of the National Anti-Wildlife Crime Task Force held in Arua City, where stakeholders discussed ways of improving coordination in the prevention and response to wildlife and forest crimes.
Hope Asimwe, a forest officer at the Ministry of Water and Environment and acting chairperson of the National Wildlife Crime Coordination Task Force, said stronger coordination among the 14 government agencies that make up the task force was necessary to improve joint planning and operations.
“Strengthened coordination” would enable the agencies to work together more effectively in preventing and combating wildlife and forest-related offences, she said.
Asimwe also urged communities in West Nile to share challenges affecting wildlife and forest conservation with the relevant authorities.
She said information from communities would help government agencies and other stakeholders better understand the challenges and develop collective responses.
The Resident City Commissioner of Arua City, Rtd. Maj. Betty Otekat Akello, who was chief guest at the meeting, welcomed the task force and described the engagement as timely.
She noted that West Nile’s proximity to Uganda’s borders with the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan makes cooperation among security, conservation and environmental agencies important in addressing wildlife and forest-related crimes.
Otekat called for continued efforts to safeguard Uganda’s natural resources and biodiversity, which she said contribute to the country’s tourism sector and its reputation as the “Pearl of Africa.”
Wilson Katamigwa, the acting chief warden and senior warden, also welcomed the task force to the Murchison Falls Conservation Area.
The conservation area, Uganda’s largest protected area, extends into the West Nile region.
Katamigwa said UWA would continue working to maintain biodiversity in the protected area and encouraged stakeholders and communities to support local tourism.
He also invited the public to participate in the Open Parks Days scheduled for September 25–27, 2026.
The two-day engagement was held at Tropical Hotel in Arua and was organised by UWA in conjunction with the National Anti-Wildlife Crime Task Force, with support from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The meeting brought together Resident City Commissioners, Resident District Commissioners and their assistants, security agencies, conservation authorities and local leaders from across West Nile.
The engagement focused on strengthening cooperation among the different actors involved in protecting wildlife, forests and other natural resources in the region.