1.0 Background
The Kidepo landscape is a critical ecological zone in North-Eastern Uganda, encompassing the Kidepo Valley National Park (KVNP), Karenga Community Wildlife Area (KCWA), and nine Central Forest Reserves (CFRs). Spanning over 1,442 km², the landscape supports diverse flora and fauna and is rich in cultural heritage, including homesteads of Karamojong traditional pastoralists and the Acholi communities.

 

The Karamoja sub-region, part of the Somali-Masaai Regional Centre of Endemism (White, 1983), hosts 412 recorded species of higher plants many restricted to this sub-region underscoring its unique wilderness value. Its iconic wildlife includes the striped hyena, aardwolf, caracal, cheetah, greater and lesser kudu, African wild dog, and roan antelope.

Despite its ecological importance, the landscape faces threats from human encroachment, climate change, and poaching. These challenges necessitate integrated conservation strategies that address both ecological integrity and socioeconomic
development.

Kidepo Landscape Integrated Conservation Development Project (KLICDP) is a Government of Uganda project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It is implemented by the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities (MTWA) in collaboration with national and district partners. The project aims to sustainably manage and conserve biodiversity while enhancing socio-economic development in the Kidepo landscape, focusing on:

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1. Combating wildlife poaching, illegal trade, and trafficking

2. Minimizing human-wildlife conflict

3. Improving local livelihoods

4. Strengthening biodiversity conservation and management

2.0 Project goal, objective, Components, Outcomes and Outputs

Project Goal
To promote the conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity in the Kidepo transboundary landscape for enhanced socio-economic development.

 

Project Objective
To secure the sustainable coexistence of communities and their livelihoods alongside wildlife and biodiversity conservation in the Kidepo landscape.

Project Components, Outcomes and Outputs
The project has five components with different outcomes and outputs as detailed below:

Component 1: Reduction of Illegal Wildlife Trade and Trafficking
This component addresses the pressing issues of illegal wildlife trade, trafficking, and human-wildlife conflict (HWC) within the Kidepo landscape. Efforts will focus on reducing poaching, consumption, illegal wildlife trade and trafficking (Outcome 1.1). Outcome 1.1 aims to achieve a significant decline in poaching activities and the illegal trade of wildlife resources within the Kidepo landscape through the following outputs; fostering interagency collaboration and establishing dedicated forums to coordinate anti-poaching efforts (Output 1.1.1). Additionally, promoting cross-border collaboration and coordination (Output 1.1.2), building the capacity of local communities through training in anti-poaching initiatives (Output 1.1.3), increasing the law enforcement capabilities of Kidepo Valley Conservation Area (KVCA) management (Output 1.1.4), providing necessary support in the fight against wildlife crime, while fortifying the implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) (Output 1.1.5), and establishing mechanisms to reduce zoonotic disease risks (Output 1.1.6).

 

Component 2: Reducing Human wildlife conflicts
This component seeks to reduce human-wildlife conflicts (HWC) in the Kidepo landscape by implementing targeted strategies that encourage coexistence between communities and wildlife. Efforts will focus on reducing human wildlife conflicts (Outcome 2.1). This outcome will build the capacity of community wildlife scouts which is essential for effective human-wildlife conflict mitigation strategies (Output 2.1.1), promote conservation-friendly and gender responsive agricultural practices within the landscape (Output 2.1.2), and strengthen management response capabilities (Output 2.1.3).

 

Component 3: Enhancing Local Community Benefits from Conservation
This component aims to improve community livelihoods by promoting wildlife-based enterprises and sustainable tourism initiatives, recognizing the vital connection between conservation efforts and community welfare. Efforts will focus on improving community livelihoods through wildlife-based enterprises (Outcome 3.1). Outcome 3.1 aims to achieve this through the following outputs; develop and implement a collaborative resource management agreement for the Kidepo Valley Conservation Area (KVCA) which will be vital in fostering joint stewardship between local communities and conservation authorities (Output 3.1.1), create additional employment opportunities in wildlife-based tourism enterprises, cultural tourism, and handcrafts to enhance community livelihoods in the Kidepo landscape (Output 3.1.2), and support community wildlife-based enterprises in order to improve local livelihoods and promote sustainable economic models (Output 3.1.3).

 

Component 4: Enhancing the landscape’s biodiversity conservation and management, ecosystem health and monitoring
Component 4 is focused on enhancing habitat integrity and biodiversity within the landscape, emphasizing biodiversity conservation and the interdependence of healthy ecosystems and community livelihoods. This component seeks to improve and maintain landscape ecosystem health and habitat integrity (Outcome 4.1). This outcome will aim to control invasive species inside Kidepo Valley National Park (Output 4.1.1), strengthen management of wild fires (Output 4.1.2), create watering points inside and outside the Protected Areas (Output 4.1.3), promote use of modern equipment and technology for surveillance (Output 4.1.4), strengthen and implement biodiversity and ecosystem health monitoring system in partnership with GWP (Output 4.1.5), and strengthen management effectiveness of Protected Area (Output 4.1.6).

 

Component 5: Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning
Component 5 focuses on establishing a robust Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) framework to assess project performance, impacts, and sustainability. This component aims to put in place an effective project monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning system (Outcome 5.1). This outcome will develop a project exit and scaling up strategies for sustainability (Output 5.1.1), establish a project genderdisaggregated monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system (Output 5.1.2), document lessons learned and good practices (Output 5.1.3), conduct project Mid-term and Terminal Evaluation (Output 5.1.4), create and execute a gender-responsive communication strategy (Output 5.1.5), establish collaboration mechanism with the GWP platform for coordinating knowledge sharing and capacity building across regions (Output 5.1.6).

3.0 Project sites

The Kidepo Landscape project is being implemented in seven districts of Kaabong, Kotido, Abim, and Karenga districts in the Karamoja sub-region and Agago, Kitgum and Lamwo districts in the Acholi sub-region. The landscape covers Kidepo Valley National Park (KVNP), Karenga Community Wildlife Area (KCWA), and nine Central Forest Reserves (CFRs). (see the map below).

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