A conserved resource is not idle!

Sep 03, 2006

SIR — There is a public outcry against allegations that the government is planning to donate Mabira forest to SCOUL investors for sugarcane production.

SIR — There is a public outcry against allegations that the government is planning to donate Mabira forest to SCOUL investors for sugarcane production. I wish to contribute to the sentiments already expressed. Soil-water-plant-atmospheric interactions are so complex that the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems is just beginning to be understood. Little is known about the role forests play in combating desertification. Research is ongoing in Mabira forest at masters and PhD levels to gain insight into some of the life sustaining ecological processes on earth.
Natural forests are a wealth of biodiversity. The number of bacteria alone in a kilogramme of top soil from such environments exceeds the world population of humans. Then add thousands to millions of actinomycetes and fungi, and hundreds to thousands of earthworms in that mass. These organisms recycle matter and energy through complex life support mechanisms. Most of these organisms remain to be identified. Natural forests occupy less than 10% of Uganda’s forest land and should, therefore be conserved. The rate of disappearance of organisms on earth exceeds 10,000 species per day!
Once a species is lost it goes forever, with all its attributes. Uganda does not have a gene bank for conserving genetic material. Some of these species contain genetic traits useful for breeding for higher yields and tolerance to weeds, pests, diseases and drought. These are the problems constraining agricultural production in Uganda and sub-Saharan Africa. Sound economic policies founded on scientific principles bring prosperity to all of us. Poor, myopic policies founded on short term maximisation of profit lead to poverty and environmental crises. Deforestation impoverishes soil, accelerates soil erosion and drying of water courses, all of which trigger desertification. How much fertility is contributed to forest systems naturally and what will be the environmental costs of resorting to fertilisers once the forest is cleared? What costs will society incur if the water levels drop and who will pay the price? What impact will the increased use of fertilisers and pesticides on sugarcane have on the people and other organisms? How will the communities currently deriving their livelihoods from this forest: food, medicinal plants, construction poles, and fuel wood be compensated? How much biodiversity have we lost to conversion of other parts of Mabira forest to the existing sugar and tea estates? Mabira forest is a useful benchmark site for providing answers to some of these questions.
The concept of Sustainable Development was defined during the Brundtland summit (1987) as “Our Common Future” and the Rio Summit (1992) as that development which meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to derive their livelihoods from the same resources. Uganda is a signatory to most of these international agreements, including the Ramsar Convention of 1971. A conserved natural resource is not idle as some people want to believe.
We have encroached deeply into the accounts of future generations. Unfortunately, most of us will not be there to account for our greed when the young and the unborn shall demand so.

Giregon Olupot
Makerere University

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});