Care for Nature is a not-for-profit non-governmental organization fully registered and licensed in Uganda to support biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihood improvement in and around sensitive ecosystems. Uganda is ranked among the top ten countries in the world with the highest biodiversity concentration, including more than 12 forests with large populations of primates including Bwindi and Mgahinga which have habituated mountain gorillas! Although the country has incredible wealth of biodiversity, threats to Nature continue to grow; forests, wetlands, game parks, game reserves and community wildlife areas are being lost and degraded at one of the highest rates in the world. The total net loss of Uganda’s forests during 2000–2020 was estimated at more than 2 million hectares, equivalent to an average annual loss rate of 5%! In addition, most wildlife in many parts of Uganda spends more time in areas outside protected areas which were traditionally dispersal areas and wildlife corridors. Humans are increasing getting into contact with new vectors, rising the risk of zoonotic diseases emergence and spread.
Uganda has one of the fastest growing population, with estimated over 45m people, equivalent to 0.59% of the total world population, with an annual population growth is 3.2% and 84% of Ugandan live in rural areas, depending on subsistence, rain-fed agriculture. The rapid population growth is putting immense pressure on land for settlement and cultivation, resulting into encroachment on protect areas, habitat loss, fragmentation, overexploitation of natural resources, pollution, increased cases of human-wildlife conflict, and climate change with its severe threats to wildlife resources and poor food produce. At Care for Nature, we believe that if we act now and smarter, we can reverse the effects of man-engineered biodiversity threats and create a sustainable environment that embraces both development and protection of environment ecosystems that sustain our lives. Through our Care for Rangers, we address issues of wildlife poaching and human-wildlife conflicts, Care for Land tackles issues of climate change, and green agriculture while Care for Communities improves livelihoods of communities within and around protected areas. We are certain that with your support, we can develop and restore our ecosystems by balancing the needs of nature and ever increasing human demands.