Uganda Conservation Foundation, partners unveil 2026 wildlife ranger challenge
The event is intended to bridge the gap between those working on the frontline of conservation and the institutions whose support is critical to protecting Uganda’s protected areas.
More than 200 ranger teams across 24 African countries are expected to participate in the Wildlife Ranger Challenge (Courtesy photo)
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The Uganda Conservation Foundation (UCF), in partnership with the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and other conservation and tourism stakeholders, launched the 2026 Wildlife Ranger Challenge on Thursday in Kampala, focusing on whether Kidepo Valley National Park can defend its title for a fourth consecutive year.
The annual 21-kilometre “Race for Wildlife” happening on September 19 in Murchison Falls National Park will bring together ranger teams from across Uganda, highlighting the physical demands faced by the men and women protecting the country’s wildlife.
The race will start at sunrise from Pakuba Airstrip, with four-person ranger teams running 21 kilometres to the Nile Delta while carrying 22-kilogramme packs. The equipment and loads are designed to reflect the demands of extended field patrols.
The event is expected to attract teams from Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth, Kibale, Bwindi and Kidepo Valley National Parks, as well as Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve, community scout units and diplomatic teams, among others.
The Wildlife Ranger Challenge was established in 2020, at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic had severely affected tourism revenues that support protected areas and conservation programmes across Africa.
In Uganda, the race will bring together rangers, tourism leaders, government agencies, diplomatic missions, conservation organisations and private-sector players.
For the organisers, the event is intended to bridge the gap between those working on the frontline of conservation and the institutions whose support is critical to protecting Uganda’s protected areas.
Michael Keigwin MBE, the Founder Trustee of the Uganda Conservation Foundation, said the race reflects the demanding work rangers undertake every day.
“Every kilometre these rangers run represents the extraordinary physical demands they face in protecting Uganda’s wildlife and protected areas,” Keigwin said.
He said the challenge provides an opportunity for the wider public and conservation partners to recognise the contribution of rangers.
The race will also form part of a much larger continental event.
More than 200 ranger teams across 24 African countries are expected to participate in the Wildlife Ranger Challenge, creating a continent-wide show of solidarity with the people protecting Africa’s wildlife and natural landscapes.
The event comes as Uganda seeks to strengthen wildlife conservation while increasing tourism revenues generated from its protected areas.
Murchison Falls National Park, which will host this year’s race, is one of Uganda’s major tourism destinations and is home to a wide range of wildlife, including elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, lions and other species.
For conservationists, the wellbeing of the rangers protecting such landscapes is central to the long-term sustainability of the tourism sector.
The Uganda Conservation Foundation, which has worked alongside UWA and Uganda’s rangers for nearly three decades, says the challenge provides an opportunity to draw attention to the need for improved ranger welfare, training, equipment and operational support.