Kalangala rekindles plan to degazette forest reserve
Forest cover. A section of Lutoboka Forest Reserve in Kalangala, which district officials want degazetted. PHOTO SYLVESTER SSEMUGENYI
What you need to know:
Forest cover. A report done by Ssese Islands Nature Conservation and Tourism Association in December 2017 showed that 60 per cent of Kalangala’ s forest cover had been destroyed between 2014 and 2016 for timber, charcoal and rice growing.
The report title, “The future of Kalangala’s forest cover” also indicated that although many people had cut down trees for palm oil, the biggest reason for cutting down forests was because many of the fishermen were rendered jobless by the ongoing operation against illegal fishing.
Authorities in Kalangala District have renewed their quest to degazette a forest reserve in Kalangala Town.
The leaders want Parliament to expedite the process of degazetting Lutoboka Forest Reserve, which has dragged on for four years.
Mr Willy Lugoloobi, the district chairperson, said this is the only way they can expand and develop the town.
“We are providing a large area of 200 acres in exchange for 174 acres of Lutoboka Forest Reserve to pave way for development in our town. We will be glad if Parliament swiftly considers our request,” he said in an interview yesterday.
He said the town lacks land for the extension of the district prison, a mortuary and public cemetery, adding that these cannot be put in place without degazetting the forest.
The plan to degazette Lutoboka Forest Reserve first came up in 2008 when Kalangala Town Council authorities initiated negotiations with National Forestry Authority and the district leadership.
In 2016, Kalangala Town Council passed a resolution okaying the move to degazette only part of the forest.
Earlier, leaders in Kalangala and other 14 urban local governments had requested government to de-gazette some forests to create room for the growing population and industrial use.
Lutoboka Forest Reserve has 430 acres. Mr Lugoloobi said they are interested in part of the forest which has no trees.
“If we had an alternative we couldn’t have insisted on that [Lutoboka Forest Reserve],” he added.
Section 8 of the National Forestry and Tree Planting Act 2003 requires that any plan to degazette a forest reserve should be passed by Parliament.
Dr Keffa Kiwanuka, the chairperson of Natural Resources Committee of Parliament, said the matter is yet to be decided by Parliament.
“That issue has been raised several times, but we cannot do much now, we are expecting the line minister to table that matter possibly tomorrow [yesterday] and see what to do,” he said on Monday .
Mr Stephen Kizza, the Kalangala Town Council chairperson, said an environmental impact assessment report was compiled and submitted to government.
“This will not be the first time degazettement will take place almost within the same location, part of the land currently occupied by beach owners and residents of Lutoboka fishing village were initially part of the forest reserve,” he said.
However, the planned degazettement of Lutoboka Forest Reserve has been faulted by a section of residents, including some district councillors, saying the town will not benefit in any way because plots of the forest have already been allocated to individuals including civil servants, politicians and some Kampala-based businessmen.
Compiled by Al-Mahdi Ssenkabirwa, Sylvester Ssemugenyi & Wilson Kutamba
