More than a decade of restoration
A working demonstration that restoration, livelihoods and science can share the same 65 acres.
A regenerative landscape on the shore of Nnalubaale (Lake Victoria)
Kijiko Conservation Ltd sits on 65 acres in Uganda’s Mukono District, on the northern shore of Nnalubaale (Lake Victoria), 52 km from Kampala. Established in 2009, it exists to show that human livelihoods and recreation need not be at odds with the flourishing of flora and fauna.
Around 50 of those acres are forested. The rest holds a tree nursery and a working farm of dairy, poultry, integrated crop production and herbs. We set out to conserve and restore biodiversity while, on the same ground, demonstrating sustainable agricultural production.
The last forest in the Kijiko area
The Kijiko area was once covered by extensive lakeside forest, cleared over the years for farming, timber and fuel. That clearing stripped away plant and animal diversity from what had been evergreen tropical forest. The forest at Kijiko is now the only remaining forest in the area.
It is home to more than 120 tree species belonging to 80 genera and 40 families, out of the 92 families documented in Uganda. Red-tail monkeys, tree hyraxes, otters, monitor lizards and many other reptiles, amphibians, mammals, fungi and yet-unidentified organisms live among them.
Conservation, livelihoods and science on one site
We prioritise environmental conservation for three reasons. Aesthetics: we believe people are intrinsically connected to nature, which reveals beauty and awakens inner consciousness, bringing physical, psychological and spiritual benefit. Ecological ethics: human beings are part of the environment, as are all other living things, and plants and animals should be supported to live in coexistence and recognised as inseparable from our lives. Recreation: a wholesome way to refresh mental wellbeing, where guests plunge into nature and experience first-hand the therapeutic sounds of the forest, the scent of the trees and the buzzing of insects.
Kijiko and Ntakye
Kijiko works alongside Ntakye, an affiliate agribusiness under the same ownership. Ntakye’s past and present projects are being brought together under the Kijiko umbrella, linking conservation, restoration and regenerative agriculture across the two. Read how the two organisations fit together →
