Tourism players in eastern Uganda have urged the government to elevate the Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve into a national park.

They say doing so would boost international visitor numbers to the Karamoja sub-region in north-eastern Uganda.

Isaiah Obwoya, President of the Eastern Entrepreneurs Network, says the reserve is not receiving the attention it deserves because it is not a national park.

He says, although the reserve once had abundant wildlife, including lions, elephants, Black rhinos and giraffes, there were no longer any in the reserve as it lacked the tight security of a national park. “Apart from the reserve attracting more wildlife enthusiasts when elevated to a national park, it will also get more rangers to protect the remaining animals,” he says.

The Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve is the second-largest conservation protected area in Uganda.