This table provides metadata for the actual indicator available from Uganda statistics closest to the corresponding global SDG indicator. Please note that even when the global SDG indicator is fully available from Ugandan statistics, this table should be consulted for information on national methodology and other Ugandan-specific metadata information.
| Goal |
Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss. |
|---|---|
| Target |
Target 15.7: Take urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species of flora and fauna and address both demand and supply of illegal wildlife products. |
| Indicator |
15.7.1. Proportion of traded wildlife that was poached or illicitly trafficked |
| Metadata update |
November 2021 |
| Related indicators |
None |
| Organisation |
Uganda Wildlife Authority |
| Contact person(s) |
Ms. Ameso Barbara & Ms. Margaret Kasumba |
| Contact organisation unit |
Market Research Unit & Law Enforcement Unit |
| Contact person function |
Statistician |
| Contact phone |
+256706414614 & +256774276479 |
| Contact mail |
P.O Box 3530 Kampala |
| Contact email | |
| Definition and concepts |
The share of all trade in wildlife detected as being illegal. Concepts: “All trade in wildlife” is the sum of the values of legal and illegal trade “Legal trade” is the sum of the value of all shipments made in compliance with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), using valid CITES permits and certificates. “Illegal trade” is the sum of the value of all CITES/listed specimens seized. |
| Unit of measure |
Percent |
| Classifications |
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) promotes standards and guidelines for this Indicator. Convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora. |
| Data sources |
Administrative data: The legal trade data are reported annually by all National Parks to UWA Head Quarter Office and stored in both the UWA Law Enforcement and Intelligence Database and the Wildlife Trade Database of MTWA, where data is managed, further analyzed and disseminated to Stakeholders and the Public in the Ministerial Abstract. The detected illegal trade data have been gathered from a number of sources and combined in the UWA Law Enforcement and Intelligence Database. This database will be filled, from 2021, with more National specific data to ensure accuracy, since some of the exhibits impounded in Uganda, is on transit from other countries. Data on this indicator is usually shared annually (Calendar Year) in the Annual Corporate Reports, to the CITES (Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) in Geneva, and to MTWA to disseminate to VVIP Ministries, Departments and Agencies for official use. |
| Data collection method |
Collection process: Some adjustment/validation is necessary between countries, but standardized codes for the legal wildlife trade have been developing since 1975. The basic fields necessary for the global indicator (species, product, and unit) are well established and present in every seizure. Some unit conversions (e.g. logs to MT to m3 for timber) are necessary for some products. For many commodities, for instance trade in live animals and trophies, it is possible to aggregate based on “whole individuals”. To do regional or national breakdowns, however, data on the source of the shipment are necessary (as the impact of poaching pertains to the source country, not the seizure country), and these data are not available for every seizure. |
| Data collection calendar |
Annually |
| Data release calendar |
1st Quarter of the financial Year |
| Data providers |
Uganda Wildlife Authority |
| Data compilers |
Uganda Wildlife Authority (The Market Research Unit in liaison with Law Enforcement and Intelligence Officers from all National Parks and Outposts (Airport Office (Canine Unit) and the UWA URA based Staff) |
| Institutional mandate |
UWA was created to ensure sustainable management of Wildlife and Coordinate, monitor and supervise activities related to wildlife management. Therefore UWA’s major goal is to conserve and manage wildlife in and outside protected areas in Uganda. |
| Rationale |
Rationale: There are over 35,000 species under international protection and 438 Nationally, so it is impossible to monitor all poaching. Illegal trade, however, is an indirect indicator of poaching. Wildlife seizures represent concrete instances of illegal trade, but the share of overall wildlife crime they represent is unknown and variable. In addition, the number of species under international protection continues to grow. To ground the illegal trade data in a complete indicator, the ratio of aggregated seizures to total trade is estimated. An increase in the share of total wildlife trade that is illegal would be interpreted as a negative indicator, and a decrease as a positive one. Because the illegal wildlife trade represents thousands of distinct products, a means of aggregation is necessary. The legal trade value does not represent the true black market value of the items seized, nor the true value of the legal shipments, because it is derived from a single market source (US LEMIS). It does, however, present a logical and consistent means of aggregating unlike products. |
| Comment and limitations |
Seizures are an incomplete indicator of trafficking, and subject to considerable volatility. Universal coverage is not presently available, although 120 countries are represented in the present database. Since the indicator looks at the relationship between two values, changes in the relationship could be due to changes in either value. Some of the exhibits impounded in the country are not from Uganda. To some extent limits the accuracy of our national figures. The indicator number of animals poached is at times hard to estimate, since some exhibits are impounded in Kgs when the Poachers have already amputated the victims. The census figure (total number of wildlife in Uganda’s national parks) is updated every after 5 Years. |
| Method of computation |
Computation Method: The value of a species-product unit is derived from the weighted average of prices declared for legal imports of analogous species product units, as acquired from Uganda Wildlife Law Enforcement and Intelligence Unit. The value of legal trade is the sum of all species-product units documented in CITES export permits as reported in the CITES Annual Reports times the species-product unit prices as specified above. The value of illegal trade is the sum of all species-product units documented in the UWA Law Enforcement and Intelligence Database and the MTWA Wildlife Trade Database times the species-product unit prices as specified above. Total value of traded wildlife that is poached of illicitly trafficked divided by the Total value of the wildlife in the country. |
| Validation |
None |
| Methods and guidance available to countries for the compilation of the data at the national level |
The convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora by the UNODC. |
| Quality management |
None |
| Quality assurance |
None |
| Quality assessment |
A validation check is made in relation to previous data. |
| Data availability and disaggregation |
Data availability: All Year Round Disaggregation: The data is presented at national level. As a form of trade data, issues of gender, age, and disability status are not applicable. |
| Comparability/deviation from international standards |
Sources of discrepancies: The figure is the aggregate of national figures provided by all the wild life centers in Uganda. |
| References and Documentation |
http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/wildlife/Methodological_Annex_final.pdf http://trade.cites.org/cites_trade_guidelines/en-CITES_Trade_Database_Guide.pdf MTWA Annual Abstracts, UWA Corporate reports www.ugandawildlfe.org |
| Metadata last updated | Feb 12, 2026 |