Kidepo Valley: Restoring Balance to a Remarkable Landscape

Kidepo Valley National Park is a place of breathtaking extremes. Rugged mountains and claw-marked valleys give way to sweeping grasslands, framed by distant horizons and seasonal rivers. Vast, remote and spectacularly beautiful, it evokes a timeless image of African wilderness. Wildlife thrives here: plains game and predators are plentiful, and elephant numbers are growing steadily. Yet one key species is missing - the rhino.

Once, rhinos roamed this landscape freely, shaping the ecosystem alongside elephants, lions, buffalo and countless other species. Decades of poaching, conflict and habitat loss, however, drove them to extinction within Kidepo’s borders. Their absence left a gap not just in species diversity, but in the ecological processes that help keep savanna systems healthy and balanced.

We’re working to change that. The Kidepo Rhino Reintroduction Project is an ambitious, carefully planned initiative to reintroduce both southern white rhinos and eastern black rhinos to Kidepo Valley National Park. The first stage is the creation of a 17,050-acre fenced sanctuary in the Narus Valley, where rhinos will be reintroduced in managed phases to give them the strongest possible start.

Initially, a founding population of white rhinos will be established to create a stable breeding base. This will eventually be followed by the introduction of eastern black rhinos, helping to restore the species to its former range. Their protection will be supported by advanced tracking technology, robust anti-poaching measures, veterinary oversight and long-term monitoring, alongside sustained engagement with surrounding communities.

The project is led by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), in collaboration with the Uganda Conservation Foundation (UCF) and a wide network of conservation partners, wildlife experts and local communities. WildLandscapes plays a central role by mobilising funding, building partnerships and supporting the long-term success of the programme.

Preparing the Landscapes and its People

Reintroducing rhinos means preparing both the land and the communities that live alongside it.

One of the most important, and least visible, challenges in Kidepo is the presence of tsetse flies, which transmit trypanosomiasis, a disease particularly dangerous to rhinos, especially during periods of stress. While Kidepo offers ideal habitat in most respects, this risk needs to be carefully managed. With support from the Platcorp Foundation, we have launched a targeted tsetse control programme designed to reduce fly numbers to safe levels, allowing rhinos to adapt gradually and build resilience.

This work, led by wildlife veterinarian Dr Matthew Mutinda and based on proven approaches used in Kenya’s Meru National Park and other locations, also creates local employment and fosters a sense of shared ownership in the project’s success.

Alongside this, we’re investing in livelihood diversification for communities living along the park’s edge. Through stakeholder engagement, a clear priority emerged: reliable income sources that reduce pressure on natural resources. In response, and again with support from the Platcorp Foundation, we’ve partnered with women from Morungole Community Conservancy to establish small-scale poultry enterprises. The initiative supports household incomes while strengthening positive links between community wellbeing and rhino conservation.

The return of rhinos to Kidepo is about more than bringing back a single species. As ecosystem engineers, rhinos shape vegetation, open up grazing areas and support the health of the wider savanna. Their presence will also strengthen conservation-based tourism, creating new opportunities for local communities and reinforcing the value of protecting the park.

Living with Giants: Elephants and Coexistence

Rhinos are not the only species reshaping Kidepo’s future. Years of successful protection have led to a remarkable recovery in elephant numbers, with the park now supporting one of Uganda’s largest elephant populations. But ancient migratory routes increasingly overlap with farmland, schools and growing settlements beyond the park boundary. The result has been painful and predictable: crops destroyed overnight, livelihoods threatened, and children afraid to walk to school.

And yet, there is enough land and resources for both people and elephants; the challenge lies in learning how to live alongside one another.

To address this, a major science-based assessment was commissioned to identify practical solutions to human–elephant conflict around Kidepo. From this, the Kidepo Human–Elephant Conflict Project was born, taking a proactive, evidence-led approach to coexistence. The strategy combines targeted electric fencing to protect the most vulnerable farms while keeping wildlife corridors open, GPS tracking and real-time monitoring to provide early warnings, and rapid-response teams equipped with non-lethal deterrents such as lights and drones. Crucially, communities are central to the approach, receiving training and tools that help reduce conflict and build long-term support for conservation.

In June 2025, WildLandscapes East Africa partnered with UWA, UCF, the Mara Elephant Project, Save the Elephants, Northern Rangelands Trust and Tropic Air to collar 16 elephants in Kidepo. The data gathered is already improving our understanding of elephant movement and behaviour, helping to shape more effective, targeted responses to conflict.

One Landscape, One Future

Rhinos and elephants may face different challenges, but the solution is the same: a safe, connected landscape where wildlife can thrive and people can live and farm in peace.

Both species are keystone engineers, shaping vegetation, water access and habitat for countless others. Protecting them means protecting the integrity of Kidepo itself, its ecosystems, its communities, and its future. With long-term plans in motion, committed partners on the ground, and growing local support, Kidepo offers a rare opportunity: not just to restore what was lost, but to build a model for how people and wildlife can thrive together in one of Africa’s most extraordinary wildernesses.