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Parliament on Thursday voted against a move by the government to transfer the National Forestry Authority (NFA) to the Ministry of Water and Environment.

MPs argue that NFA remains instrumental in the protection of the environment particularly the forests.

Through the Committee on Natural Resources, Parliament also recommended that the National Forestry and Tree Planting Act, 2003 be amended to mandate NFA to take over the management of district forest reserves.

Some of the initiatives being undertaken by NFA to restore tree cover include the signing of a five-year memorandum of understanding with TotalEnergies to conserve Uganda’s largest central forest reserve, Budongo, which is also home to an estimated 600-800 chimpanzees and the largest mahogany forest in East Africa.

NFA becomes the first institution to be saved by Parliament, since the rationalisation process of government agencies kicked off on Wednesday, April 17, in Parliament.

The institution was established in 2004 under section 52 of the National Forestry and Tree Planting Act 2003 with a mandate to manage Central Forest Reserves and to supply high-quality forestry-related products and services to government, local communities and the private sector.

It is also mandated to manage 506 Central Forest Reserves totalling 1,262,090 hectares of land cover, supplying forest and non-forest products and services among others.

Through the rationalisation process of government agencies, the government hopes to save shillings 1 trillion annually.