Muhesi Nicholas
Muhesi Nicholas is a committed Wildlife Ecologist, Senior Instructor and the Head of the Wildlife Management Department at the Uganda Wildlife Research and Training Centre (UWRTC). With a career built on both field experience of over 20 years and academic leadership, he works to strengthen conservation practice, research, and community engagement across Uganda’s protected areas.
Nicholas began his conservation journey in the 1990s as a field research assistant, a Park Warden, where he gained practical experience in wildlife management and conservation, ecological monitoring, habitat management, and collaborative work with communities living around national parks. These early years shaped his deep understanding of the day to day realities of conservation from wildlife behavioural ecology to human–wildlife conflict and sustainable resource use.
In his academic role at UWRTC since 2002, Nicholas serves as a Senior Instructor and a department head, overseeing strategic leadership in training that equip upcoming environmental and natural resource conservationists with skills in ecological research, wildlife management, remote sensing and GIS, and field-based learning. He works closely with students, researchers, and partner institutions to strengthen competency-based training and promote evidence-driven conservation approaches and innovative solutions, whereby he is experienced grant writer with a successful track record of securing funding for innovative businesses, designed and executed a grant proposal resulting in the successful launch of a new product line of managing human-wildlife Conflict through Community Wildlife Scouts and established and maintained strong relationships with funding agencies, resulting in repeat funding opportunities. He supports student-research coordination, curriculum development, and wildlife management innovations that strengthen conservation outcomes nationally.
His research contributions span the freshwater ecology of rivers that drains into Lakes Edward and George basin whereby he assessed the effect of Climate Variability and Change on surface freshwater quality and fisheries of Lake Edward ecosystem, Uganda. Regeneration of high-value plant species, the impacts of illegal harvesting, and conservation benefit-sharing schemes, and species distribution modelling, afro-montane indicators species in response to global warming and climate change especially around Queen Elizabeth National Park and Rwenzori Mountains National Park. His work supports conservation agencies, policymakers, and local communities in designing sustainable and inclusive management strategies.
Nicholas is recognized for his approachable leadership, field-oriented teaching style, and commitment to conservation solutions that balance ecological integrity with community livelihoods.
Whether in the classroom, in the field, or working with local communities, he remains dedicated to advancing conservation that benefits both nature and people.