By Frank Kamuntu
The Uganda Wildlife and Timber Forensic Laboratory was officially opened on 29 April 2026 at the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre (UWEC) in Entebbe, expanding its mandate to include timber forensics alongside its established work on wildlife crime.
Wildlife forensic science plays a vital role in strengthening law enforcement and ensuring compliance with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Advanced techniques such as DNA profiling enable authorities to turn seized wildlife and timber specimens into scientifically robust, court-admissible evidence, linking illegal products to crime scenes and suspects, supporting successful prosecutions, and disrupting organized criminal networks that profit from wildlife crime.
The laboratory builds on a foundation established in 2019, when the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in collaboration with the TRACE Wildlife Forensics Network and the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), launched a pilot wildlife forensics facility in Uganda. Since then, the laboratory has evolved into a national hub for technical support, assisting hundreds of investigations and prosecutions related to illegal wildlife trade.
Through a UNODC project, “Combating Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Uganda through the Criminal Justice System,” funded by the European Union (EU) under the EU–Uganda Forest Partnerships Programme and supported by Denmark, the laboratory’s mandate has been expanded to include forensic analysis of protected Ugandan timber species.
Deforestation and timber trafficking are increasingly recognized as forms of serious organized crime, posing significant threats to Uganda’s environment, economy, and national security. According to the Ministry of Water and Environment reports, over the past three decades, forest cover has declined dramatically — from 24 per cent in 1990 to roughly 13 per cent in 2025 — undermining biodiversity, livelihoods, and climate resilience.
The expanded scope of work prompted the relocation of the laboratory to UWEC’s National Wildlife Hospital and Quarantine Centre, where facilities have been refurbished to enhance security, infrastructure, and compliance with international forensic quality standards.
UNODC and TRACE, working alongside UWA and the Ministry of Water and Environment, are supporting laboratory modernization, including specialized equipment, advanced training, and the development of standard operating procedures for wildlife and timber forensic methods.
“By strengthening forensic capacity in Uganda, UNODC is helping to close critical evidence gaps, enhance accountability and ensure that criminals who exploit nature for unsustainable profit are brought to justice.”
UNODC is helping to close critical evidence gaps, enhance accountability, and ensure that criminals who exploit nature for unsustainable profit are brought to justice.
Speaking at the official opening, Mr. Giovani Broussard, Africa Coordinator for the UNODC Global Programme on Crimes that Affect the Environment, underscored the global implications of wildlife and timber trafficking, which are driven by transnational organized crime networks that operate across borders. By strengthening forensic capacity in Uganda, UNODC is helping to close critical evidence gaps and ensure justice.
Mr. Jan Sadek, Ambassador of the European Union Delegation to Uganda, emphasized the strategic importance of the laboratory:
“This laboratory represents a powerful investment in science, justice, and sustainability. By supporting forensic capacity, the European Union is helping Uganda protect its forests and wildlife, safeguard local livelihoods, and uphold the rule of law against environmental crime.”
Mr. Bob Kazungu, Assistant Commissioner Forestry at the Ministry of Water and Environment, reaffirmed the government commitment to combating illegal logging:
“Science-based enforcement is a game changer in protecting our natural resources. The Ministry is committed to working closely with partners to ensure sustainable forest management and to stop illegal logging at its source.”
The event concluded with a renewed commitment to stronger collaboration across the justice, environmental, and scientific sectors.
“When science is applied to the law, the law becomes a more powerful tool for conservation,” said Her Worship Gladys Kamasanyu, Chief Magistrate of the Standards, Utilities and Wildlife Court.
“The forensic laboratory is critical to the criminal justice system, significantly enhancing the ability to hold offenders accountable by providing objective, scientifically validated evidence and to protect Uganda’s natural heritage for future generations.”
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