Kabarole district launches tree planting Project

The Rotary clubs of Tanzania and Uganda have launched tree planting project in its effort to mitigate climate change and its related effects.

The three-year Rotary club project on Mitigation of Climate Change Project was on saturday launched by the in -comming Rotary club governor Jaryesh  mayesh of  Uganda and Tnazania Henry at St.Mary's semninary in Virika in Fort Portal  Municipality.

While unveiling the project, Jaryesh said the tree planting project comes after a realization that forests in the region have been massively degraded through timber harvesting and charcoal burning.

Jarysh said the uncontrolled forest degradation was likely to bring far reaching effects on climate such as the changing rain patterns and prolonged droughts that were never seen before. He said such climatic change is what the project aims to address.

Under the project that runs up to 2019, all the Rotary club members in the two countries of Uganda and Tanzania will be required to have at least a hectare of trees in each of the areas under them.

"The project is aimed at ensuring that people are aware of the diverse effects of the climate change and as well as sensitized on the adaptation measures," said Jaryesh.

Denis Mugara the in-coming district governor for Western region said that the club will now focus on tree planting as one of the key interventions in mitigating the effects of climate change.

"Just as we have been fundraising for the council institute now our focus is turning to the environment we need to plant as many trees as possible in every institution because many people are suffering as a result of the climate change," said Mugara.

Herbert Mugisa the chairman LC III for South division who represented the political leaders commended the Rotary club for the initiative and urged local people to embrace the project. He said the region needs such environmental conservation efforts to curtail the adverse effects of oil exploration.

Mugisa said that the tree planting will help control the Soil Erosion and Landslides that are increasingly becoming a major threat to the People of Kabarole.

"As local leaders we are going to work with the Rotary club in ensuring that local people are mobilized to embrace the project and plant as many trees as they can," said Mugisa.

Some forecasts gloomily predict that private land will not have forests in the next 10 years. This is backed by evidence from a 2016 Joint Water and Environment Sector Review Report that says forest cover has reduced from 24 per cent in 1990 to just 11 per cent in 2015.

According to the 2016 joint water and environment sector review report between 1990 and 2005, natural forest estate outside protected areas reduced by 35 per cent (from 3.46 million hectares in 1990 to 2.3 million hectares in 2005). People are converting hitherto forested land into agricultural land, timber and charcoal burning zones.