Ugandan President Bans Wildlife Trade

August 2002

On 19 June 2002 Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni called for an immediate ban on export of wildlife from Uganda.

While launching a conservation endowment fund at the Uganda Wildlife Centre in Entebbe, President Museveni said that Uganda’s wildlife should be promoted as a tourist attraction, rather than being exported. The President donated US $100,000 to the endowment fund.

The Wildlife Centre’s executive director, Beti M. Kamya, commented:
Uganda has a competitive advantage because it has half the world’s population of mountain gorillas, over 1,000 bird species, and a diverse ecosystem.

Many IPPL members wrote letters to President Yuseveni expressing concern over Uganda’s plans to re-enter the wildlife trade, as requested in the April 2002 issue of IPPL News. Thanks to everyone who sent letters - they may well have contributed to the President’s decision.