NFA recovers 60,000 hectares of forests from encroachers

Aug 05, 2016

The Authority has embarked on opening the boundaries and so far 1000km out of 11,000km and planted concrete pillars

Over 60,000 hectares of forest land has been recovered from encroachers in the central forest reserves, the National Forest Authority officials have said.

NFA Executive Director Michael Mugisa told New Vision that despite the efforts, about 150,000ha is still under encroachment but the Authority has gone into participatory approach with the local governments and local government authorities to have it recovered.

"Reclaiming 60,000 hectares is not easy because encroachment is not an easy thing. You remove people today, they return the following day. Secondly we have abandoned the use of force because it causes its disruptive but efforts are on to have all the land recovered," he said.

In 2012, the authority's encroachment report revealed that a total of 211,898 hectares of land out of 1,214,049ha had been encroached on and put to different land use other than forestry activities in 517 central forest reserves.

The report also indicated that 19 forest reserves in the lake shore range, 3 in Budongo range, 3 in Katugo plantation and 1 in West Nile range with a total area of 69,396 hectares had been completely taken over by encroachers.

Mugisa attributed the encroachment mainly to unclear forest boundaries and failure to update forest cover data which continue to undermine planning, decision making and management of forest resources.

However the Authority has embarked on opening the boundaries and so far 1000km out of 11,000km and planted concrete pillars.

Mugisa and the team had appeared before the committee on commissions, state authorities and state enterprises but were sent back for lack of supporting document.

 executive director ichael ugisa 2nd  addresses the committee hoto by ary arugaba NFA executive director Michael Mugisa (2nd R) addresses the committee. Photo by Mary Karugaba

 

"We don't think you are ready to appear before the committee. Go back and put your house in order," Committee chairman Abdul Katuntu directed.

The committee directed the team to also come with the value of all NFA land under plantation forest.

In a report to Parliament for the year 2015, the auditors established that the Authority did not maintain a detailed register showing the plantation land owned by authority.

"Failure to disclose land occupied by authority's buildings and plantations implies that the value of property, plant and equipment disclosed in the financial statements was understated," the auditors said.

Mugisa explained that the Authority has 7 forest plantations with 12,000 ha.

"We have conducted a preliminary assessment of the land occupied by the authority buildings and plantations. We have also initiated the process for purposes of obtaining certificate of ownership," he said.

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