Forestry body in Earth Hour campaign

Mar 26, 2013

The National Forestry Authority (NFA) is set to donate 90,000 tree seedlings to communities in Mpigi, Butambala and Gomba.

By Moses Walubiri & Job Bwire

The National Forestry Authority (NFA) is set to donate 90,000 indigenous tree seedlings to communities around the 29 forest reserves in Mpigi, Butambala and Gomba to stem what State minister for environment, Flavia Munaba, has described as “the frightening degradation of forests in Uganda".

According to NFA’s Executive Director, Michael Mugisa, the tree seedlings to be distributed to 34 different villages before the end of this financial year is part of a concerted effort aimed at “collaborative forest management.”

“These three districts have 29 forest reserves, and many of them are in dire need of regeneration. NFA intends to give out 30,000 tree seedlings to each district in order to regenerate these forests,” Mugisa said during the launch of the Earth Hour Forest campaign on Saturday by Munaba. 

The campaign under the auspices of World Wide Fund (WWF) in tandem with corporate bodies like Standard Chartered Bank saw 1200 indigenous tree species planted in Navugulu Central Forest Reserve, Mpigi district.

Initially one of Uganda’s pristine forest reserves,  Navugulu, according to WWF Country Director, David Duli, has suffered severe deforestation due to encroachment over the last decade, leaving an estimated 2,700 hectares degraded.

Munaba and hundreds of volunteers who went to plant trees in the forest reserve stumbled upon rolling hills and valleys denuded of forest cover and at risk of erosion as peasants seek to tap into the fertile virgin soils.

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NFA acting Aswa Range Manager Judith Aber supervises a worker sprinkling water on the tick seedlings on February 5, 2013. PHOTO/Cornes Lubangakene

WWF hopes to eventually plant over 500,000 indigenous trees in what has been now labeled the “Earth Hour Forest” in Navugulu.

“We cannot afford to ignore this critical environmental challenge we are facing today” Duli said, calling upon corporate bodies and individuals to embrace the Earth Hour movement.

According to United Nations Development Program (2008) report, Uganda loses 6000 Hectares of forest cover every month.

This has spawned environmental challenges like landslides, irregular weather patterns and disappearing snow caps on Mt. Rewenzori.

Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia by WWF as a campaign to draw the world’s attention to the dangers of environmental degradation.

The campaign entails millions of people around the globe to switch off lights at an agreed time for one hour to show concern for the environment.

Last year, the campaign saw lights go out in 7,001 cities in 152 countries.

This year’s edition attracted more than 150 countries and territories, with Palestine, Tunisia, Galapagos, Suriname, French Guyana, St Helena and Rwanda observing the Earth Hour for the first time.

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