Uganda continues to make strides in position the Pearl of Africa as an international tourism destination.
This is witnessed through initiatives like one of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and partners that supported the Kingdom of Tooro to launch the successful Ekyooto Ha Mpango cultural festival showcasing the Kingdom’s rich history and cultural heritage and providing a platform to engage in inclusive conversations on the integration of culture and communities in the tourism business ecosystem.
The “Mountains of the Moon” documentary also premiered at the festival and further highlighted the need to diversify Uganda’s tourism product range, to include mountain communities in the tourism value chain, to showcase investment opportunities in mountain tourism, and to protect the Rwenzori’s unique natural and cultural resources.
While mountain tourism remains a largely underutilized tourism resource in Uganda, the success of the 2021 Rwenzori Expedition headlined by Dr. Ajarova Lily and Mr. Moses Golola and the influence this has already had on popularizing mountain tourism suggests there is significant potential to develop this tourism product further and to continue building a development discussion around the diverse benefits of sustainable mountain tourism in Uganda.
To further strengthen UNDP’s existing partnership with the Kingdom of Tooro and build on the momentum of the Ekyooto Ha Mpango Festival and the Mountains of the Moon documentary, this King Oyo Rwenzori Expedition provides an opportunity for UNDP and partners to emphasize the importance of environmental conservation, climate action and community resilience as core to Uganda’s sustainable development journey.
Given the influence of cultural institutions in fostering social cohesion and behavior change, UNDP seeks to deepen collaboration with the Tooro Kingdom – through the leadership of His Majesty King Oyo participation influenced deeper stakeholder and citizen participation in environmental conservation for the SDGs.
This expedition presents an opportunity to further position sustainable tourism as a catalyst for decent jobs, livelihood opportunities, climate action and environmental conservation, furthering UNDP’s development agenda in Uganda by encouraging action and investment from the community to the government level.
According to the Uganda Tourism Board, the Objectives of the King Oyo Rwenzori Expedition include Strengthen UNDP’s partnership with the Tooro Kingdom and position King Oyo as a champion for environmental conservation and an ambassador for the SDGs.
The move would also call for the Sensitization of government, private sector, development partners and the public on the importance of environmental conservation as a driver of sustainable development in Uganda, with a focus on the biodiverse high altitude mountain ecosystems.
Promote Uganda as a mountaineering tourism destination and drive domestic and international tourist traffic to the Rwenzori Mountain range and surrounding towns, parks and tourism locations.
Campaign: Conserving Mountain Ecosystems
‘Conserving Mountain Ecosystems’ is a proposed joint awareness-raising campaign led by UNDP in partnership with His Majesty King Oyo, drawing attention to the impacts of climate change with a focus on the Rwenzori Mountains ranges. The campaign will highlight environmental conservation’s role in safeguarding biodiversity, driving tourism and protecting community livelihoods.
Rwenzori, which means “place of snow” in Lukonjo, is home to some of the few remaining equatorial glaciers. The most visible consequence of climate change in Uganda is the rapid loss of glaciers, which have reduced from 6.5 sq. km in 1906 to less than 1 sq. km in 2003 and are predicted to disappear before the end of this century. Numerous forest fires have also devastated vegetation that controlled the flow of the rivers downstream. The communities living at the foot of the Rwenzori have suffered some of the most destructive floods the area has ever seen, including the submersion of their spiritual sites. Deforestation and rapid population growth have further accelerated the degradation of the mountain ecosystem.
As such, restoring and protecting the natural environment and areas affected by climate change is key to preserving not only the mountain ecosystem but is fundamental to the preservation of cultural heritage. The ‘Conserving Mountain Ecosystems’ campaign thus positions King Oyo as a champion to raise awareness and mobilize support for climate action and enhance community ownership of Uganda’s development agenda.
