In only a matter of weeks - or even days - rhinos are coming to Kidepo. First, white rhinos will come, for the first time ever, and once they - and all security and rhino management systems are fully established - black rhinos will follow, returning to a place they were last seen over 40 years ago. It’s a hugely exciting moment for us, all the amazing partners we work with, and most importantly, for Kidepo and Uganda, who are expanding their rhino habitat and marking a major conservation milestone.

Nothing about 2025 was neat or linear. Some projects advanced faster than expected; others required more time, negotiation, or patience than planned. Across landscapes and partners, the work was shaped by local conditions, shifting pressures, and the need to adapt in real time. Our year-end update reflects that reality: what moved forward, what changed, and what it took to keep conservation efforts on track at WildLandscapes.

Conservation demands constant adaptation, and not only in response to failure or threat. When wildlife populations begin to recover in earnest, new challenges emerge: space becomes constrained, movements change, and growing numbers of animals increasingly overlap with growing human populations. Conservation success brings its own pressures, particularly in landscapes where people and wildlife share limited and contested ground. The question is no longer just how to restore species, but how to live with the consequences of recovery.