The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Today, ECOTRUST works with more than 54,000 households and supports the management and restoration of over 70,000 hectares of land across five major landscapes
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Pauline Nantongo Kalunda, Executive Director of the Environmental Conservation Trust of Uganda (ECOTRUST), has described the organisation’s 27-year journey as a story of resilience, innovation and transformation in conservation financing.
“Twenty-seven years is a significant milestone for any institution, especially in a sector where many organizations struggle to survive beyond their early years,” said Nantongo. “Our work has always focused on ensuring that conservation is not only environmentally important, but also economically meaningful for local communities,” she added.
Nantongo made the remarks Tuesday as ECOTRUST launched its 27th anniversary celebrations, marking nearly three decades of pioneering conservation finance. The launch event, held at the Golden Tulip Canaan Kampala, brought together board members, development partners, conservation stakeholders, media partners and international partners who joined both physically and virtually.
ECOTRUST has played a significant role in championing biodiversity restoration, environmental conservation and supporting rural smallholder communities across Uganda.
Founded in 1999 following the transformation of a former environmental grants management unit supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), ECOTRUST Uganda was established with the mission of conserving biological diversity while improving social welfare through innovative and sustainable environmental management.
Trees for Global Benefits
Over the years, the organization has grown into one of Uganda’s leading conservation financing institutions, developing innovative models that channel financial resources into conservation initiatives implemented by local communities.
At the center of this transformation is ECOTRUST’s flagship “Trees for Global Benefits” programme, launched in 2003 and is one of Africa’s earliest cooperative carbon offsetting schemes. The initiative connects Ugandan smallholder farmers to voluntary carbon markets while supporting sustainable land restoration and livelihood improvement.
Nantongo explained that the organization’s approach is built around making conservation economically viable for ordinary farmers and communities.
“We want farmers to grow trees because it makes economic sense for them, not simply because they are saving the environment,” she noted. “When environmental services such as carbon storage, watershed protection and climate regulation are properly valued, conservation becomes a profitable and sustainable land-use option.”
Through its landscape restoration model, ECOTRUST supports farmers to establish enterprises in timber production, coffee, cocoa, fruit farming, medicinal extracts, honey production, fish farming and fuelwood production, while also attracting financing through carbon credits, biodiversity credits and private conservation investments.
From its early operations in the Queen Elizabeth landscape, the programme has since expanded to the Rwenzori Mountains, Mount Elgon, Murchison Falls, Northern Uganda and the Mpologoma landscape. Today, ECOTRUST works with more than 54,000 households and supports the management and restoration of over 70,000 hectares of land across five major landscapes.
The organization has also significantly reduced its dependence on traditional donor funding. According to ECOTRUST, approximately 80 percent of its financing now comes from private philanthropy, conservation service agreements, and its endowment fund, while only 20 percent comes from public donor support.
In his closing remarks, ECOTRUST’s Board Chairperson, Isaac Kapalaga reflected on the organization’s journey since 1999 and praised its contribution to expanding conservation impact across Uganda.
“As one of the founders of ECOTRUST, it is deeply fulfilling to see how far the organization has come and the impact it continues to make in communities across the country,” said Kapalaga.
He highlighted the successful rollout of programmes in Northern Uganda despite logistical and operational challenges, commending the organization’s team for extending conservation initiatives into new regions.
“Our commitment remains focused on reaching more communities and ensuring that conservation delivers real social and economic value to ordinary Ugandans,” he added.
At the close of the event, key stakeholders officially signed the ECOTRUST Impact Report, symbolically launching 27 years of conservation finance, community impact and landscape restoration.
As Uganda continues to face growing climate and environmental pressures, including deforestation, land degradation and biodiversity loss, ECOTRUST continues to scale community-led restoration initiatives while strengthening sustainable financing models that place local communities at the center of environmental conservation.
Over the next five years, the organization aims to improve livelihoods and climate resilience for more than 16.5 million people across 33 districts while restoring at least 60,000 additional hectares of degraded land.
