Ongo Forest another victim of the COVID-19 pandemic

Ongo communal forest is shared by four villages of Ogadra, Kibali, Onieni, and Abangi in Kasenene parish, Budongo sub-county, Masindi district.

It was formally registered in 2003 as a CBO named Ongo communal land association (CLA), and its boundary was surveyed and mapped in 2007 with support from Budongo Forests Community Organisation (BUCODO). The management committee and their roles and responsibilities and mechanisms for dispute resolution were clearly defined. The constitution and forest management plan were also formulated.

In 2017, ECO-TRUST supported Ongo CLA to become the first communal forest to receive a land title in Uganda, under sustainable management and protection of the Ongo community. This was done to promote sustainable use of natural resources within the Albertine landscapes amidst human activities such as oil and gas exploration, development, and production. This was also prompted by the provisions in the Land Act of 1998: Sect 15-23 (Government of Uganda, 1998) which provided for community expression of interest in managing forests formally on public land.

Over the years, the Ongo CLA has achieved great milestones with support from other conservation Non-Governmental Organizations such as the Jane Goodall Institute, Wildlife Conservation Society, and Community Development Conservation Agency. Other stakeholders include; local council leaders, forest management committee members, Masindi district technical staff, and the Local community members.

Ongo communal forest is strategically located in the Bugoma-Budongo conservation corridor which connects private forests between the two central forests in greater Hoima and Masindi districts respectively. Its value to the continued conservation of the corridor can't be overemphasized. Like any other part of the Albertine region biodiversity hotspot, Ongo community forest is known for species diversity and species richness. Wildlife such as chimpanzees and other primates use this forest as a habitat, but also to migrate from one area to another. The forest is also a catchment for rivers such as Waki, Nyampunu, Elio, and Twanga which provides water to a big number of households in the region. Its destruction will reduce livelihoods for the neighboring communities who get non-timber forest products, carry out bee keeping, eco-tourism, and the long-awaited benefits of REDD+ such as carbon money and REDD+ strategic options. The communal forest is also essential in microclimate modification and offers research opportunities to conservation scientists at different levels of academics and conservation institutions.

However, the only remaining community forest within the area is being destroyed by, allegedly, the would-be custodians (management committee and other stakeholders) as the community watch with no means of deterring these illegal activities. The COVID-19 is believed to have far-reaching negative effects on conservation; it's therefore not coincidental that the perpetrators have taken advantage of the prevailing COVID-19 situation and the preventive measures to benefit from this communal forest.

According to the forest monitoring team, Ongo communal forest management committee hasn't held any general meetings for the last 4 years which is leading to mismanagement of the resource. The team reported that the committee sold more trees to loggers in the pretext of raising funds to install a rice milling machine which is yet to be installed.

 It is also alleged that the district technical staff including the district forest officer, natural resources officer, environment officer, and CLA management committee have connived with loggers to destroy the community forest for selfish gains. The community members are wondering how such forest destruction can be averted. The district technical team didn't show interest in this matter upon being approached by the forest monitors. Instead, they claimed that they don't have transport to monitor and assess the damage caused to the forest. In addition, they mentioned that the communal forest management committee has the right to sustainably harvest trees from the forest. However, contrary to the objectives clearly stipulated in the constitution of Ongo CLA, the management committee is harvesting trees indiscriminately and selling offcuts to themselves.

The destruction of the forest will ruin conservation efforts from different institutions especially under the Northern Albertine Rift Conservation Group (NARCG). These have been key in the creation of the CLA, conducting Free Prior and Informed Consent, private forest owners' association, and implementation of different livelihood improvement projects. More so, the communities won't adhere to conservation initiatives when their efforts aren't being respected by the stakeholders mandated with communal forest conservation over selfish gains. Wildlife will have no habitat and food which will accelerate human-wildlife conflicts especially when animals use known migration routes.

It is therefore paramount that the district technical officers do monitoring to assess the level of damage of this community forest. It's also necessary that the involved parties be thoroughly cautioned to ensure that they are transparent and accountable in their CLA forest management actions. A review of the management plan through the general assembly is also imperative to ensure the continued conservation of the remaining forest.

The writer is a researcher at ACODE/CSCO