Uganda is looking forward to leveraging the use of digital technology this year as it commemorates the Wild Life Say of March 3,2024. While taking a hold of use of digital tools , the focus will be how youths get involved in being the top ambassadors for wild life conservation through these platforms.
Tom R Butime informed journalists through a press notice that digital technology has significantly transformed traditional strategies. This has happened through digital innovations such as drones, satellite tracking, DNA barcoding, and social media.
According to Butime, these have become critically relevant to the contemporary practice of wildlife conservation by improving the general understanding of wildlife behavior, tracking illegal wildlife trade and trafficking, predicting biodiversity threats among others.
The 2024 World Wildlife Day theme is “Connecting People and Planet:
Exploring Digital Innovation in Wildlife Conservation”. Under such a theme the focus will be more on raising awareness about the application of digital technologies and interventions.
He also mentioned; “Our youths have embraced the use of technology in everyday life. As future leaders and decision-makers, youths will continue to play a critical role in
designing the future of digital wildlife conservation.
Based on that the 2024 international World Wildlife Day celebrations will target the youths and leverage partnerships with other key stakeholders like schools, communities,civil society
organizations, and political leaders to disseminate information on the use of technology in wildlife conservation and the need for enhanced collaboration.
The Government among many achievements has reintroduced Rhinos in Uganda, which had gone extinct in the early 1980s. The initial population of 8 has successfully bred and multiplied to the current population of over 32 individuals.