Conflicting policies failing environmental protection
Jul 03, 2014
Conflicting government policies on environment was a point of reference when environmentalists met in Kampala Wednesday to discuss restoration of indigenous tree species.
By John Agaba
Conflicting government policies on environment was a point of reference when environmentalists met in Kampala Wednesday to discuss restoration of indigenous tree species.
The activists said the conflicting policies are failing environmental protection and ultimately failing to counter climate change.
The activists, mainly farmers, biodiversity experts and other environment stakeholders, expressed that all the three national policies on environment (the environment policy, forestry policy and the investment policy) were un-coordinated, not harmonized, and as a result conflicting and sabotaging environmental conservation than promote it.
The activists appealed to parliament. They requested the legislators to review the policies to come up with clear harmonized strategies, not in conflict with one another, to promote the environment.
“All these policies (environment, forestry, and investment) are drawn with good intentions to protect and preserve our natural resources. But when it comes to the operational level at communities, they are contradictory,” Daniel Semakula, the head of policy and advocacy at CIDI, a community integrated development initiative, said.
“Our appeal to legislators is to review them and make necessary adjustments so the policies are not in conflict with one another,” Semakula added.
The meeting, organized by World Vision and the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), discussed ways Uganda can conserve her biodiversity, with special emphasis on restoration of indigenous tree species to counter the climate change threat.
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