Kabale residents demand alternative sources of income
Jun 15, 2011
Residents of Muko and Ikumba sub-counties in Kabale district have petitioned the Government to provide them with alternative sources of income to stop them from reclaiming wetlands.
By Chris Mugasha
Residents of Muko and Ikumba sub-counties in Kabale district have petitioned the Government to provide them with alternative sources of income to stop them from reclaiming wetlands.
They also urged the Government to resettle people whose land neighbours wetlands. The residents said they encroach on the wetlands because it is the only natural resource in the area that helps them meet their social and economic needs.
They said the wetlands are on the verge of extinction. The group attributed this to the increasing population, lack of enough land for cultivation and lack of sensitisation.
The residents made the remarks during a meeting with Jimmy Muheebwa, an official from Nature Uganda, to discuss the achievements of the Crane and Wetland Conservation project since its inception in 2005.
The meeting was held in Nyamuriro wetland in Muko sub-county. Muheebwa, who is the project coordinator, said it has been focusing on replanting Nyamuriro wetland which had disappeared because of encroachment by the neighbouring communities.
The project which is funded by Whitley Fund for Nature, a UK-based NGO, is implemented in Kiyanja wetland in Lwengo district, Nyamuriro wetland in Kabale district and Nkukuru wetland in Mitooma district.
Residents of Muko and Ikumba sub-counties in Kabale district have petitioned the Government to provide them with alternative sources of income to stop them from reclaiming wetlands.
They also urged the Government to resettle people whose land neighbours wetlands. The residents said they encroach on the wetlands because it is the only natural resource in the area that helps them meet their social and economic needs.
They said the wetlands are on the verge of extinction. The group attributed this to the increasing population, lack of enough land for cultivation and lack of sensitisation.
The residents made the remarks during a meeting with Jimmy Muheebwa, an official from Nature Uganda, to discuss the achievements of the Crane and Wetland Conservation project since its inception in 2005.
The meeting was held in Nyamuriro wetland in Muko sub-county. Muheebwa, who is the project coordinator, said it has been focusing on replanting Nyamuriro wetland which had disappeared because of encroachment by the neighbouring communities.
The project which is funded by Whitley Fund for Nature, a UK-based NGO, is implemented in Kiyanja wetland in Lwengo district, Nyamuriro wetland in Kabale district and Nkukuru wetland in Mitooma district.