Through the Big Cats Initiative (BCI), the Great Plains Foundation supports a diverse portfolio of grantees working on the frontlines of conservation. BCI not only funds established efforts but also invests in emerging, locally led organisations, strengthening community-based conservation, fostering innovation, and scaling solutions that promote human-wildlife coexistence. One such organisation is The Uganda Conservation Foundation (UCF), a UK-registered charity and Ugandan non-profit founded in 2001, which works closely with the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) to secure these vital landscapes and protect Northern Lions.
Kidepo, Uganda’s most remote national park, is synonymous with a wilderness where life still pulses raw and untamed. It also holds extraordinary potential as a recovery stronghold for lions, cheetahs, and wild dogs. Achieving this depends on uniting Kidepo, its surrounding conservancies, and the wider transboundary landscape and ensuring local communities see real benefits from tourism and employment. With that alignment, recovery of the lion population is possible.
In 2023 UCF received a grant from the Big Cats Initiative (and matched by Global Conservation) to support their work with the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) in Kidepo National Park with a focus on studying and protecting the park’s small lion population.
Great Plains Foundation speaks with Michael Kegwin, Founding Trustee of UCF
Conservation Impact
What has been the most meaningful conservation success you’ve seen since the project began?
The collapse of the lion population was rapid and heartbreaking, and came at a time we did not expect. However, the response – as tiny as we are – has resulted in no lions being lost for over a year, the poachers’ traps being found quickly, and the poachers being kept out of the park or arrested.
The dedication of the field teams has been fabulous. The same has happened with the UCF/UWA teams in Queen Elizabeth National Park, where no lions have been killed for over two years – in both cases – the recoveries are being seen.
How has your approach helped reduce conflict between communities and big cats?
The low number of lions has, of course, dramatically lowered conflict to the point that in Kidepo, there has been almost none. However, the haven of Kidepo NP from South Sudan, where remaining lions are being killed, and the Karamoja /Turkana (Kenya), is their recovery zone, from which lions will be able to repopulate other areas in due course.
Can you describe a moment that reminded you why this work is so important?
Sgt Sam Loware, based in Kidepo NP for decades, died of a stroke in a meeting about lions in Kampala. Sam was the local and institutional knowledge about the region, including lions, and we worked very closely together. The teams on the ground are the knowledge now, and from a leader’s perspective, the recovery can only come with continued management, support and leadership. The Rangers are dedicated, people from the region, wonderful, but they need guidance and help. The threats from the illegal wildlife trade actions are present, and once again, it needs consistent effort to counter.
Community Engagement
How has your work changed the way communities view big cats in the landscape?
Communities are gaining awareness that without lions, tourism collapses, and so do the economic and social benefits that filter back to the communities. The number of cattle in the region has declined considerably due to efforts to reduce cattle rustling and conflict. As a result, the illegal cattle grazing into protected areas and interaction with lions has reduced.
What role do local people play in the success of your project?
UCF employs locally, training up Scout teams to support UWA Rangers, and if qualified, they become future Rangers. They are critical in representing the parks and tourism in community households, countering possible illegal activities from within, being informants or engaging communities positively in development programs.
Across Uganda, teams are being developed to support more community-owned and managed conservancies – including the Morungole and Naperatom Community Conservancies, connecting critical habitats for wildlife and tourism investments.
Can you share a story of someone in the community whose life was positively impacted?
One of the lion scouts grew up in a community long entangled with professional poachers. As the eldest in his household, he now faces a stark divide: relatives and neighbours who profit from illegal hunting, and a new path he’s carving through tourism and conservation. Choosing the latter has put him and his family at risk—yet he refuses to turn back. He’s determined to withstand threats, rebuild trust, and prove that protecting lions can bring lasting opportunities to his village. His journey isn’t just personal; it’s a chance to break the cycle of poaching and transform how his community sees its future.
Technology & Innovation
What recent or new tools or methods has your team introduced, and what have you learned from them?
UCF is leading the Uganda Wildlife Authority’s Digital Strategy, which applies tools like GPS tracking, drones, AI, and LoRaWAN networks to monitor wildlife, combat poaching, and improve conservation data across protected areas. This technology is now in use in parks like Kidepo for lions and rhinos, though development there still trails behind progress made in Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls National Parks.
Lions are tracked and monitored by UCF staff and the central Operations Room. A Quick Reaction Force remains on standby, using targeted, intelligence led patrols in hotspot areas. When lions move into high risk zones — whether from potential poaching or human wildlife conflict — the team can rapidly deploy to protect both wildlife and communities.
What lessons could other conservationists learn from the technology you’re using?
Only the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has the mandate to manage protected areas and wildlife in Uganda. The UCF’s role-investment has been to strengthen UWA’s capacity to succeed, which includes the country-wide technology system. In Queen Elizabeth (QE) the system has enabled UWA & UCF to respond to 162 lion related incidents over the last two years with no lions lost during that period.
The same approach is now proving successful in Kidepo, showing that empowering local teams with the right tools can deliver extraordinary results.
All technology is installed at no cost to UWA, fully funded through donations and implemented with expert guidance. Once developed, these systems will be shared freely with other protected areas across Africa—providing tools, insights, and best practice support to address their own conservation challenges. Our ambition is to create a model others can easily adopt and build upon. Key technology partners include Off Grid Consulting, White Mare Technology, Connected Conservation, and EarthRanger.
Education & Capacity Building
What impact has training, and education had on the long-term success of your efforts?
Training and education have been central to UCF’s long term impact; including community development. UCF leads UWA’s ranger and community training programs and recently constructed the UWA Academy in Murchison Falls to provide ongoing skills development. Looking ahead, UCF will host the 2025 regional Earth-Ranger Workshop in Entebbe this September, further strengthening capacity and collaboration across East Africa.
UCF currently supports four local Karamojong youth pursuing Diplomas at the Uganda Wildlife Research and Training Institute in Queen Elizabeth National Park. All come from nearby villages and once qualified, can join either UWA or UCF teams. In a region where illiteracy and unemployment remain major challenges, this initiative helps bridge the gap between the park and surrounding communities, creating pathways to education, employment, and conservation leadership.
How are you building local leadership and capacity in your region?
UCF works daily with local leadership, and everything done in the region is with their blessing and oversight, including all FPIC requirements for conservancy developments.
What advice would you give to the next generation of ‘big cat’ conservationists?
Be practical – and help the system succeed with tangible outputs that are focused on the primary stakeholders, i.e. UWA and the people, they will be there well beyond a project or secondary stakeholders (NGOs), and so they must be the focus.
The Bigger Picture
What gives you hope for the future of lions in Kidepo?
Lions: This is the northern lion subspecies – a population vital to the species’ recovery across Africa. Despite immense challenges, new support and resources are finally reaching them, opening the door to real recovery. The road ahead is long, but for the first time in years, there’s genuine momentum and a sense that a turnaround is within reach.
What message would you like to share with the world about big cat conservation?
Making sure the brave teams who protect wildlife, and lions on the ground, are the ones recognised. It isn’t about photographs, publishing and PR – the hard work is by those formally mandated to protect and conserve lions, prey and landscapes on the ground, for future generations to benefit from.
