Charcoal trade hinders forest restoration in Greater Luweero

Authorities in Nakaseke, Nakasongola and Luweero districts are torn between banning the charcoal business to protect the environment and allowing it to go on as it is a source of revenue for their coffers.

The authorities said more than 30 percent of their local revenue comes from the charcoal business but it has led to the destruction of forests and the environment.

They said the business is booming and some individuals with large chunks of land are indiscriminately cutting down trees on their property to make charcoal.

“We cannot slap a ban on charcoal production without [finding] alternatives for wood fuel, which is used by more than 85 percent of the population. We opted for sensitisation and a deliberate but voluntary forest tree planting campaign,” Mr Ignatius Kiwanuka Koomu, the Nakaseke District chairperson, said in an interview on Tuesday.

The authorities said they are conducting tree planting campaigns to sensitise the communities about the importance of forests.

Mr George Abel Nkugwa, the Nakaseke District natural resource officer, said: “The district has in place prohibitive taxes on forestry products among other measures to help the forestry rejuvenation campaign. We are also implementing the National forestry and tree planting Act 2003 to guide in the forestry tree planting.”

 In Nakasongola, environmental experts said while the district has gazetted a tree planting day to restore forest cover, commercial charcoal production is still being practiced which has frustrated the efforts being made.

The experts warned that the district faces imminent desertification due to indiscriminate cutting down of trees.

“More than 30 trucks carrying charcoal leave Nakasongola District every day for the urban areas including Kampala City. This perhaps explains the vulnerability of the forests and the environment in Nakasongola District,” Mr John Mary Kabyanga, an environmentalist with Awake Nature Concern, said.

Awake Nature Concern is an environment awareness activism community-based organisation in Nakasongola and Nakaseke districts

However, the Nakasongola District chairperson, Mr Sam Kigula, said their tree planting campaign has helped restore the forest cover.

“We have active bye-laws that encourage tree planting at household level. Every family is required to plant at least one tree on the date when we commemorate the tree planting day. It is also true that we have no particular law in place [regarding] burning charcoal trade. This possibly undermines our ability to fast truck the forest tree planting campaign,” he said.

Luweero also does not have a law to check the charcoal burning business.

Mr Erasto Kibirango, the Luweero District chairperson, said:  “It is also true that Luweero has no particular law burning charcoal trade since charcoal fuel is still a widely accepted means of fuel for more than 70 percent of the Ugandan population. There are several environmental awareness campaigns undertaken by the Luweero District Natural resources office to help preserve the environment.”

Some of the sub-counties most affected by the cutting down of trees for charcoal include Kamira, Kikyusa, Zirobwe and Makulubita.

Statistics from the district’s natural resources office indicate that more than 75 percent of the natural forest cover in Luweero is depleted.

Forest restoration

The Catholic Church is currently in the process of restoring Nandere Natural Forest in Nandere Village in Nyimbwa Sub-county, Luweero, which lost a lot of its tree cover to people cutting them down for timber and charcoal between 1990 and 2015.

The forest is under the custodianship of Bethany Land Institute, which is part of Kasana-Luweero Diocese. The Diocese has gazetted about 300 acres for forest tree planting.

Mr Kibirango described the forest’s tree restoration plans as a noble duty for all concerned parties and individual households.

“The battle to restore nature and preserve the forest trees should be fought by all concerned citizens. We have people that own big chunks of land and are busy clearing the vegetation including the trees. The local governments may appear helpless on private property, but environment protection should be a concern of every individual,” he said.

Fairventures Uganda, a non-governmental organisation, in partnership with learning institutions, also launched a campaign to plant 2,000 trees in Luweero District.

The trees are being planted on land provided by Ndejje University.

In Nakaseke, the Ministry of Water and Environment in partnership with the district local government, launched the Wetland Wise Use Model project in Kapeeka Sub-county.

“The project is aimed at conserving wetlands and the natural forest cover,” the Nakaseke District natural resources officer, Mr George Abel Nkugwa, said.

The National Forestry Authority (NFA)is also attempting to restore at least 60 hectares of lost tree cover in the next five years.

This is being done through partnership and community engagement.

The NFA executive director, Mr Tom Okello Obong, said past restoration initiatives have recently seen an increase in the forest cover from nine percent of the total land cover in Uganda in 2015 to 13.4 percent in 2019.