Let us protect all existing forests

Jun 21, 2009

A total of 23 districts in Uganda lost their forests, mainly in eastern and northern Uganda, according to the 2008 State of Environment Report which has just been released by the National Environment Management Authority.

A total of 23 districts in Uganda lost their forests, mainly in eastern and northern Uganda, according to the 2008 State of Environment Report which has just been released by the National Environment Management Authority.

The report says that the entire forest eco-system has disappeared in the 23 districts. About 1.2 million hectares of forest cover was lost between 1990 and 2003.

The districts with depleted forest cover stretch from Iganga up to Kaabong and from Apac up to the Kenyan border. The West-Nile districts of Moyo, Yumbe and Koboko are also badly affected. In central Uganda, the deforested districts are Lyantonde, Nakaseke, Kiruhura and Sembabule.

The executive director of NEMA, Dr Aryamanya-Mugisha, has warned that if nothing is done to reverse the high rate of deforestation, the per capita forest area of Uganda will be zero by 2050. The environment agency attributed the forest loss to the fast growing population, which has increased the pressure on land. The agency argues that the continued loss in forest cover is partly a result of an increase in the use of charcoal and firewood. It is also attributed to bush burning although the practice is illegal.

This, to say the least, is quite an alarming development requiring the Government and the environment agency to take urgent measures. In the report, NEMA has stressed, among other things, the need for conservation of the present forest resources through afforestation and reforestation.

The biggest challenge, though, is for the Government to take the necessary tough measures to protect the forests. Hitherto, the Government has appeared to be reluctant, out of political consideration, to take the necessary actions to tackle major environmental issues squarely. Encroachment on forests, for example, continues and the National Forest Authority has not managed to evict the encroachers due to lack of support from the Government. Furthermore, the Government must desist from degazetting any of the existing forests and should plant new forests, particularly in districts that have experienced serious deforestation.

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