Uganda's wildlife population has boomed over the past four decades, according to Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Tom Butime.

One of the most biodiverse countries on the planet according to the UN, Uganda has seen the population of several species more than double between 1983 and 2021 "due to enhanced integrity of the protected areas," said Butime.

The number of elephants has increased from 2 000 to 7 975, while the giraffe population increased nearly sixfold to 2 072.

The buffalo population has risen from 25 000 to more than 44 000.

The government had also been able to successfully reintroduce rhinos, which had become extinct in the early 1980s, said Butime.

The East African country hosts more than 53% of the global population of Mountain gorillas and 11% of the world's recorded species of birds. Nearly half of Africa's mammals are found in Uganda, according to the UN.

Tourism is a top foreign exchange earner in Uganda, contributing almost 10% of GDP, according to government figures.

Threats still a sobering reality

However, highlighted Butime, the threats of poaching, habitat loss, climate change and retaliatory killings were causing the numbers of other species. "More efforts are required to recover declining populations of chimpanzees and lions among others."

UN biodiversity experts warned last year that rampant exploitation of nature was a threat to the well-being of billions of people across the world who rely on wild species for food, energy and income.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature said in December that wildlife living on private land in Uganda remained largely unprotected and it urged a change in policy to reduce human-animal conflict in those areas.