OPM | FOREST | MANAGEMENT 

KAMPALA - The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) has called on refugee-hosting districts to develop forest management plans that will guide and speed up the restoration of the lost green cover in many areas.

According to the OPM, the forest management plans will look at sustainable use of forests as people look at the time-to-time planting of trees and particular periods when they have to harvest trees for both fuel and timber.

Representing the commissioner for refugees in the Prime Minister’s office, John Paul Magezi, an officer in the OPM refugee’s department said the formulation of the plan should be spearheaded by local governments who are the main victims of environmental destruction.

“The plan has to be a suitable approach in that when you finish harvesting the trees are able to sprout,” Magezi said.

Magezi made the remarks while addressing the launch of the Regreening Communities Project at Golf course hotel Kampala on Friday (July 1).

The project was designed to restore the lost green cover in both refugee settlements and host communities in Yumbe district by development partners.

Yumbe is hosting 270,000 refugees mainly from South Sudan since 2016, and its green cover has decreased to 20% as a result of cutting down trees for firewood, and timber among other livelihood activities. 

Magezi said government entities and partners need to look out for tree species that can allow nature regeneration like bamboo.

He said in the plan, that people living around the wood logs or forests have to be sensitized enough about the roles they have to play in its protection, rather than having issues of deforestation and misuse of the green cover.

(L-R) Rumsey Richard, the program quality director World Vision Uganda interacts with Arnold Waiswa, the director of environment at the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and John Paul Magezi, an officer in the Officer of the Prime Minister (OPM) refugee’s department. This was during the launch of the Regreening Communities Project at Golf Course Hotel Kampala on July 1, 2022. (All Photos by Lawrence Mulondo)

What government is doing

Magezi said the government and partners are already intervening in renewable energies where they are supplying improved cookstoves.

“In refugee settlements, we are promoting the use of briquettes and solar at an institutional level like health centres and schools as a replacement for fuel wood to protect the environment,” he noted. 

He said the government and partners need to consider more funding for environmental activities if the country is to restore the lost green cover.

Magezi said often, partners consider the health and education sectors more when appropriating funds leaving the environment sector not funded well.

“When parliament needs to appropriate enough funds when budgeting to support environmentalists in protection and restoring of the environment,” he said.

Rasul Drajiga, the Chief Administrative Officer of Yumbe said in the ongoing environmental destruction, the district has lost a lot of indigenous tree species like the araucaria tree.

He said people usually plant trees in millions however only 20% live to grow which indicates that the available interventions on deforestation are curative, not preventive.

Rasul Drajiga, the Chief Administrative Officer of Yumbe district.

Partners move to supplement

In the urge to restore green cover in refugee-hosting districts, environment development partners under their umbrella Global Evergreening Alliance have launched a USD4.3m Regreening Communities Project funded by Australian Aid.

Cotilda Nakyeyune an official from CARE Uganda explained that the project will promote landscape protection and restoration to improve household food and nutrition security, livelihood and community resilience to climate-related disasters in refuges and host communities.

Nakyeyune said that the five-year project will reach out to 40,000 people both in refugee settlement zones and host communities.

“Of the 40,000 people, 60% of the funding will target women and children, 33% will target men while 7% will target people with disabilities,” she explained.

Rumsey Richard the program quality director World Vision Uganda said in areas where there are increasing numbers of refugees, they are observing an increased pressure on natural resources, especially in areas of firewood where it is used too much as energy.

Richard said they are also observing challenges caused by climate change like the change in rain patterns which is impacting food production.

He said as partners, they are looking at more effective fuel-efficient ways of cooking, for example, durable solutions for refugees and host communities.

“We are looking for nature-based livelihoods that can promote strong economic growth but also manage natural resources sustainably.”