Kampala, Uganda, December 10, 2025—The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has been honored with the 13th Visionaries of Uganda Award, receiving the designation of “Wildlife Environmental Conservation Organization of the Year” from the Government of the Republic of Uganda.

The award, presented at the national Visionaries of Uganda ceremony on 27 November 2025, recognizes WCS for its “Outstanding Contribution Towards Uganda’s Middle Income Status Aspiration and Vision 2040,” citing the organization’s leadership in science, environmental stewardship, and long-term partnership with Uganda’s conservation agencies.

The Visionaries Awards program celebrates government institutions, civil-society organizations, and private-sector leaders whose work is advancing Uganda’s national development agenda. WCS was selected for its decades-long impact in safeguarding biodiversity, supporting protected area management, strengthening national conservation policy, and building local capacity to protect wildlife and wild places.

Simon Nampindo, WCS Uganda Country Director, express his pride in the government’s recognition of the dedication of WCS’s staff and partners. “This award reflects the tireless work of our teams across Uganda and the strength of our long-standing collaboration with government institutions and communities,” he said. “We have always believed that strong science, strong institutions, and strong local leadership are the foundation for protecting Uganda’s extraordinary wildlife and ecosystems. This recognition affirms the importance of that collective effort.”

For more than 60 years, WCS has been a key conservation partner in Uganda, contributing technical leadership, cutting-edge research, and on-the-ground support across national parks, forest reserves, wildlife corridors, and community landscapes. WCS is a core technical member of national committees guiding implementation of the National Chimpanzee Conservation Strategy, National Carnivore Conservation Strategy for Uganda, the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN), and the National State of the Environment Reports. WCS also provides scientific input for Uganda’s reporting to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Cartagena Protocol, and the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing.

WCS Uganda has trained hundreds of staff from the Uganda Wildlife Authority, National Forestry Authority, District governments, and community wildlife scouts in SMART patrolling, ecological monitoring, climate-smart agriculture, and biodiversity information systems. The program has also helped thousands of households adopt soil and water conservation practices, restore woodlands, and strengthen climate resilience. WCS has trained Ugandan professionals at the Masters and Doctorate level and collaborated robustly with academic institutions to conduct conservation research, providing 25 years of biological data collected in the Albertine Rift to the National Biodiversity Data Bank hosted at Makerere University, Kampala.

Michel Masozera, WCS Interim Regional Director for East Africa and the Western Indian Ocean, said the award reflects Uganda’s importance to conservation in the region. “Uganda plays an essential role in the ecological stability and biodiversity of East Africa,” he said. “The work of WCS Uganda strengthens conservation not only within the country but far beyond its borders. This award underscores how strong national programs, grounded in science and long-term partnership, can drive regional and global conservation impact.”

Looking ahead, WCS reaffirmed its commitment to working with the Government of Uganda to help advance national goals under Vision 2040 and to ensure that Uganda’s wildlife and wild places continue to thrive for generations to come.

More information on WCS Uganda’s work can be found at https://uganda.wcs.org.

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