Aid for biodiversity protection

Dec 28, 2000

Uganda is one of the beneficiaries of the East African cross border biodiversity initiative called Reduction of Biodiversity Loss at Cross Border Sites in East Africa.

The project undertakes activities aimed at preserving biodiversity at cross-border areas By Dan nSalasatta Uganda is one of the beneficiaries of the East African cross border biodiversity initiative called Reduction of Biodiversity Loss at Cross Border Sites in East Africa. This is an integrated conservation and development project (ICPD) developed and implemented through a participatory and collaborative effort by the three sister countries of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. According to Robert Nabanyumya, the national project manager of the Ugandan component of the project, the project was developed through a consultative process. It was a follow up undertaking to the first Global Environmental Facility (GEF) project for East Africa called Institutional Support for the Projection of East African Biodiversity, which was operational from 1992 to 1996. The GEF is a multi-national trust fund mechanism which supports globally significant environmental activity worldwide in the four fields of biodiversity, climate change and global warming, international waters and the elimination of ozone-depleting substances. The ICPD is a five year (1998-2002) project, with $12.5 million of GEF funding and sizeable national baseline activity. In Uganda, the five year project is executed by the Aid Liaison department of the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development. Project implementation is co-ordinated by the National Environment Management Authority. The overall objective of the project is to test and demonstrate district level approaches to reducing the rate of biodiversity loss at two cross border sites of global biodiversity significance: the Sango Bay forest/wetland ecosystem and the dry land mountain biodiversity of Karamoja. Explaining how Sango Bay forest is of global biodiversity significance, Nabanyumya said the site is composed of five forest reserves: Malabigambo, Kaiso, Namalala, Tero East and Tero West. These forests form one block with the Minziro forests in Tanzania and they are the largest and richest swamp forests in East Africa. Internationally, they are considered very rich in terms of the number of different plants and animals found there. The forests have 244 tree species, 317 different kinds of birds and 26 types of small mammals among others. Despite their importance, these forests are threatened by the surrounding communities, who depend on them for fuel, timber, medicines, fish and other resources. The project aims at reducing the rate of loss of biodiversity through helping the local communities and Government to work together to regulate the use of forest resources. It also encourages people to find alternative sources of resources by encouraging activities such as tree planting, agro-forestry, improved agricultural practices, bee-keeping, rabbit keeping and other environmentally friendly practices. In Karamoja, the project operates in Moroto and Kotido in five dry land mountain forests: Mt Moroto, Mt Napak, Mt Kadam, Mt Morungole and Timu forest. Mt. Moroto. Mt Kadam and Timu forests extend across the Kenya-Uganda border and meet the Turkana plains. The forests are internationally important because of their rich biodiversity. Some of the species they contain do not occur anywhere else in the world. The project aims to introduce technology that will reduce the demand placed on forest resources, and to facilitate the local communities and government to work together to regulate exploitation of the forests. They are actively participating in the drafting of policies, by-laws and regulations for environmental management. Ends

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