The Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve is a conservation area in the Karamoja sub region of northeastern Uganda. It is the second largest conservation protected area in Uganda.

The southern part of the reserve was gazetted as the Debasien Animal Sanctuary in 1958. A government-led project to convert land just south of the Greek River for agriculture threatened the viability of wildlife conservation in the whole area. In 1964 the area was expanded northward and renamed Pian-Upe Game Reserve.

Touring Pian Upe means exploring the second widest protected area in Uganda after Murchison falls National Park, Situated in Karamoja region, Pian Upe wildlife reserve sits on approximately 2800 sq. km making it one of the biggest wildlife reserves in the country.

Plants

Most of the reserve is covered by undisturbed grassland and wooded grassland. Small areas of Riverine woodland, kopjes also exist. Some land is cultivated, and especially the area near the Greek River is threatened by conversion.

Dominant tree species are red acacia and desert date. Also present are bush willows, Harrison Abyssinia and red spike-thorns. Shrubs include butterfly pea and wooly caper bush. Cultivated areas have many live fences of yellow oleander.

Large mammals

Although the area once supported healthy populations of lions, elephants, black rhinos and giraffes, these are now locally extinct. The last giraffe was reportedly poached in 1995. Populations of plains zebra, common eland, are also threatened Grants gazelle.Pian Upe is also a home to enormous rock pythons and smaller but venomous puff adders. Harmless water snakes are also found there. The largest lizards in Pian Upe are the Savannah monitors. Others in the reserve include the common agama as well as skinks, chameleons and geckos.