Uganda
Empowering Communities to Conserve Wetlands and Cranes
The majority of the remaining Endangered Grey Crowned Crane population depends on small pockets of wetlands scattered across Uganda, the same wetlands that farming communities rely on for their livelihoods. Thus, the fate of this species and the wetlands they depend upon are deeply intertwined with the livelihoods of these communities that share their lands with cranes.
The wetlands of Uganda are under increasing pressure from a growing human population. Wetlands are lost through drainage for agriculture and settlement, unsustainable harvesting of wetland vegetation, and the introduction of crops and trees, such as eucalyptus, that cause permanent alteration of wetland vegetation structure and hydrological functions.
Our work in Uganda aims to empower communities to conserve wetlands and cranes through a holistic, integrated approach. We combine climate-smart agricultural livelihood creation, habitat restoration, soil and water conservation, healthcare service provision, community capacity development, and community stewardship to enable long-term wetland health for people and cranes. When conservation, livelihood, and human health actions are integrated through these partnerships, we build community resilience and ensure long-term conservation outcomes.
New water tanks in our project communities provide safe water for cooking and drinking, reduce wetland disturbance, and save countless hours for women and children who must collect water each day.
Our Integrated Plan
Our work to date in Rukiga, in southwestern Uganda, and Lwengo, in southcentral Uganda, has demonstrated the effectiveness of community-based conservation strategies. We have piloted approaches such as Conservation Agreements linked to important livelihood options, drawing on lessons from our Rugezi Marsh project in Rwanda. With our health partners at Rushebeya-Kanyabaha wetland in Rukiga, we have integrated conservation and health messages, improved family health, and increased participation in Conservation Agreements. We have enhanced agricultural livelihoods by introducing Napier Grass cultivation to prevent soil erosion on hillslopes and provide livestock with fodder, and by providing high-quality climbing bean and Irish potato seeds. In return for these benefits, communities have undertaken conservation actions to safeguard cranes and protect wetlands.
We are proud that our project is globally recognized for its holistic and integrated design and implementation. Furthermore, lessons from this work support ongoing efforts to improve conservation practices and policies. There is still a pressing need to scale up these impacts within and beyond the current project scope to ensure we can sustain and recover the Grey Crowned Crane population and the wetlands on which the cranes and local communities depend.
Top photo: Young girls stand outside a new women’s latrine at their school. By providing a safe, private place for these necessities, we aim to help girls stay in school longer.
Grey Crowned Cranes by Ondrej-Prosicky
In Uganda, natural ecosystems, especially wetlands, face growing threats from climate change, deforestation, and unsustainable land-use practices such as wetland conversion and sand mining. These pressures have reduced both agricultural productivity and biodiversity.
This successful approach to conservation will be shared by Kerryn Morrison, the International Crane Foundation/Endangered Wildlife Trust Partnership’s Vice President of Africa Programs, during the 9th Session of the Meeting of the Parties of the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA MOP9) held from November 11-14 in Bonn, Germany.
The humble oyster mushroom has become an unexpected hero in the story of rural economic empowerment—one that is intimately connected to the conservation of the Endangered Grey Crowned Crane and the wetlands they call home.
