Biography
I am Walter Raleigh Odokorwot working as the Secretary of Umoja Wildlife Conservancies Association of Uganda (UWCU). UWCU is an association is an organization promoting community participation in managing wildlife outside protected areas of Uganda. In the year 2020-2021 I worked for Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH), an organization supporting conservation of wildlife in dispersal areas and Gorilla conservation and this was after serving Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) (Agency responsible for management of wildlife in Uganda) for 25 years in different protected areas. While with UWA, I worked in Mt Elgon National Park (2019-2020) as Warden Community Conservation; Kidepo Valley Conservation Area (2014-2019) as Warden Community Conservation; and in Murchison Falls National Park (2011 -2013) as Assistant Warden Community Conservation. In 2010, I worked as Assistant Warden In-Charge Ajai Wildlife Reserve after serving for 6 years as Assistant Warden In-Charge East Madi Wildlife Reserve (2004-2009). In the year 2003, I worked as Assistant Warden Tourism in Lake Mburo Conservation Area after Kidepo Valley Conservation Area from (2000-2002) as Assistant Warden Tourism. Prior to that, I worked as Junior Warden Tourism in Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve (1997-1999) after transfer from my first working station in Kabwoya Wildlife reserve (1996).
My long-standing commitment to promoting community participation in wildlife management has sparked my enthusiasm to pull out of Government (UWA) and NGO (CTPH) to directly establish UWCU to directly engage communities and landowners to conserve and benefit from wildlife on their land. My ambitious interest in ensuring that we transform the “top-down” approach to wildlife management being practiced in Uganda since the colonial time to community based natural resource management combined with my considerable professional experience in wildlife conservation is a unique and enriching opportunity to share knowledge with colleagues in the World Commission on Protected Areas.
I have a deep knowledge of community-led conservation programs in Africa, such as the Conservancies, CAMFIRE, and WMA, in addition to my specialized skills in human-wildlife conflict mitigation, anti-poaching, facilitation, and enterprise development for sustainable conservation and livelihoods. While with UWA, Top management and AWF entrusted me to work beyond the usual scope to initiate community-based conservancy approaches to wildlife management such that communities manage wildlife outside protected areas of Uganda. I am also familiar with diverse conservation challenges and good approaches associated with local land rights, as I not only took part in several courses that went beyond academia but also participated in community-based conservation initiatives in some countries in East and Southern Africa.
The following are some achievements I made while promoting community participation in wildlife management in Uganda:
• Initiated the Conservancy Approach to wildlife management among communities and landowners living with significant wildlife populations around Murchison Falls, Kidepo Valley and Mount Elgon Conservation Areas. Overall, I recruited and trained 559 Community Wildlife Scouts and established 21 Wildlife Associations to manage wildlife and livelihood programs in their areas. One example of success is that I established Community Based Human-wildlife Conflict Mitigation (CBCM) in 2017 and Community Wildlife Scouts of Karenga Community Wildlife Area reduced food insecurity by attending to 70% of reported cases of human-wildlife conflict (crop raiding), curbed illegal activities through patrols in their conservancy and scouts arrested 78 poachers in their conservancies.
• Based on the need of having strong governance and institutional structure, I strengthened leadership capacity of representatives of the 14 Wildlife Associations in Uganda in entrepreneurial skills for wildlife management and in addressing conservation conflicts. Now I work with them under the umbrella organization of UWCU which helps conservancies to collaborate, share information and create standards for conservancy operations and for the first time demonstrated the tangible economic value of wildlife resources on people's land.
• Knowing that successful community wildlife management depends on close collaboration with partner organizations, during my time at UWA I built a strong network with partner organizations such as local governments, the African Wildlife Foundation, the Global Environment Facility, Caritas Switzerland, and Advance Africa to build the capacity of conservancy members. Through this collaboration, the partners mobilized resources that enabled me to train and equip community wildlife scouts.
In addition to this, my comprehensive technical knowledge in conservation, my strong interpersonal communications skills, and my expertise in conservation business and finance, have enhanced my overall performance in community conservation which made me win the following awards:
Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquates 2018
Human-Wildlife Conflict Coexistence, Award for outstanding contribution to wildlife conservation in Uganda
Alibaba Foundation and African Ranger Paradise Foundation 2018
Outstanding Endeavor in the Cause of Wildlife Conservation (Community Participation)
Karamoja Conservation Award 2017
Outstanding Contribution to Wildlife Conservation in Karamoja
I succeed in working independently, under pressure, unsupervised, and in harsh environments, as much as I am free to spend more than 25% of the time travelling to partner field sites and other offices.
Thanks
Speaking at
Transformative Capacity Building of IP&LC Organisations for Effective Inclusive Conservation
Oct 10 2025 (16:00 - 16:45)
Room: IUCN Africa