The First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports Mrs. Janet Museveni has urged ardent supporters of the environment and wildlife conservation to sensitize and educate the population, especially the young generation, on the importance of people living in peace together with all God’s creation.

Citing the case of Uganda and Africa in general, she said that as the population increases, human beings need to understand and appreciate the fact that they are not the only creation on this planet, but that there are, in fact, different types of life found on planet Earth, including plants, animals, micro-organisms and other organisms. 

“We need to understand that ninety percent of the population of Uganda do not know the significance of everything in the natural environment they live in. And that is what should concern all of us”, remarked Mrs. Museveni on Monday while hosting renowned conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall and  several members of the Wild Life Conservation Trust.

Hon. Janet K. Museveni and Dr. Jane Goodall share a light moment during their high tea engagement at State House Nakasero, Monday August 21, 2023. PPU Photo

Dr. Jane Goodall, a world-renowned primatologist and conservationist and founder of the Jane Goodall Institute,  is in Uganda for  the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary. The sanctuary found on one of the Lake Victoria islands near Entebbe , is dedicated to the care of orphaned chimpanzees rescued from poachers by Uganda Wildlife Authority.

The First Lady, who is also the Patron of the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary, invited Dr. Goodall and her team to State House Nakasero, in Kampala.   to exchange ideas regarding the future of conservation in Uganda.

 Different people passionate about nature, including Diana Museveni Kyaremera, an ardent supporter of tourism and wildlife attended the meeting.  A release from her office states that the First Lady told  the meeting that Kyaremera (her daughter )will be representing her on conservation issues  in cases where she (Mrs. Museveni) is  not available.

Martin Mugarra Bahinduka, State for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Lilly Ajarova the CEO Uganda Tourism Institute, Dr. James Musinguzi from Uganda Wildlife Education Centre and Board Chair Chimpanzee Trust Fund, Sam Mwandha the Executive Director Uganda Wildlife Authority, Anna Rathmann and Diana Leizinger from the Jane Goodall Institute USA and Austria attended the meeting alongside officials from the Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Jane Goodall Institute

Mrs. Museveni told her gusts that that Uganda appreciates Dr.  Goodall and honours her for the stand she has made in life to always remind people about living together in peace with wildlife on planet earth.

She also applauded the work being done by the Chimpanzee Trust, including sensitizing and educating the communities, and called for more of this to be done as a country.

The First Lady said that it is extremely important and urgent for the people, the majority of whom live in rural areas, to understand and relate biodiversity to their own survival.

She emphasised the need to explain to the communities that human beings cannot live peacefully without the rest of God’s creation on earth being at peace.

She argued that biodiversity provides us with food and water, helps to maintain a stable climate, breaks down waste and recycles nutrients, keeps pests under control, protects against soil erosion and flooding, provides us with raw materials, such as timber and is a source of fuel such as fossil fuels.

Mrs. Museveni  also stressed the need to sensitize and bring on board the youth  who constitute over 70 per cent of Uganda’s population, saying that they are the future custodians of our heritage, and the future decision-makers to carry on the mantle of conserving the nature that God has committed to us.

  “If they are not aware of the value attached to forests, they will cut down forests for quick money gains, and then regret it later”, she said.

The First Lady noted that the world is  experiencing a period of massive extinction of various species of animals and plants largely due to human activity.

According to Mrs. Museveni people should be told that wildlife is negatively affected when we human beings pollute the land, the air, the soil, and the water, and it also becomes vulnerable when we carry out illegal hunting or poaching.

“Our people need to know, and urgently too, that when their activities destroy, degrade, or isolate natural habitats to the detriment of wildlife, in the long run, it will lead to the disruption of the quality of life for us human beings”, she stressed.

Stressing need for people have to be educated to peacefully co-exist with the wildlife instead of killing the animals, Mrs. Museveni cited the case of Karamoja region, where some of the land set aside for conservation is some of the most fertile

She alluded  to Genesis Chapter 1, Verse 28 in the Bible, where God puts man in charge of His creation and commands him to have dominion over them by saying, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that [h]moves on the earth.”

Mrs. Museveni observed that culturally our people respected wildlife and they even had myths and beliefs that prevented them from destroying wildlife habitats, for example, totems associated with clan systems relate to wildlife.

“However, with an increase in the population in the past three decades or so, there is a new breed of people who are not attached to these cultural and clan beliefs. Therefore, they do not feel any cultural or moral obligation to protect wildlife. As a result, the population is invading ecosystems and polluting habitats”, she said.

Pledging his  ministry’s support to wildlife, Minister Mugarra thanked Maama Janet Museveni for giving 25 years of her time to conservation projects.  He also appreciated Dr. Jane Goodall for her commitment and contribution to conservation, not only Ngamba Island but also other conservancies around the country.

He also expressed commitment to reexamine the ministry budget  to address some of the current challenges of Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary. He also pledged to work with the National Forest Authority on the issue of increasing incidents of Human-Wildlife conflict recently exposed in Kagadi District.

Dr. Jane Goodall said that it is becoming increasingly important to bring together people who care to discuss and share how to try and solve problems that the wild environment is going through such as habitats being lost and polluted, animal species disappearing, terrible loss of biodiversity and climate change among others. “If we get together and if we take action, then we can start slowing down climate change, slowing down loss of biodiversity, destruction of habitat, pollution and so forth”, she said.

Goodall said supporting Ngamba Island and protecting the environment of the wild chimpanzees is not only important for tourism, but also for the honour of Uganda, Tanzania, the DRC or wherever these chimpanzees and other primates live.

She applauded the current team at Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary for the great job they are doing. However, she stressed the need to have the young generation inherit the passion of the people who today are supporting conservation and wildlife, so that when they retire, they can take over.