NatureUganda, with financial support from BirdLife Tokyo, is implementing a 14-month project titled “Scaling-up Rüppell’s Vulture Conservation through Community-Centred Approaches in Luku Central Forest Reserve, Uganda.”

The project’s goal is to strengthen conservation efforts for the Critically Endangered Rüppell’s Vulture by empowering local communities to play a leading role in protecting this globally important species. Through community participation, environmental education, and sustainable livelihood initiatives, the project aims to secure the future of Uganda’s only known breeding population of this remarkable vulture.

Luku Central Forest Reserve is the only known breeding site for the Rüppell’s Vulture in Uganda. This makes it one of the country’s most important conservation areas for endangered birds.

The reserve lies within a refugee-hosting landscape where increasing pressure on natural resources threatens both the forest ecosystem and the survival of the vultures. Major threats include:

• Illegal persecution linked to belief-based practices and wildlife trade
• Charcoal burning within the reserve
• Logging for timber and fuelwood
• Bush burning for pasture and hunting

The project is;

• Expanding the Vulture Champions Network: Members from both refugee and host communities are being recruited and trained to monitor breeding sites, patrol surrounding buffer zones, and serve as ambassadors for vulture conservation.