Uganda’s forest cover under threat
Uganda is one of the countries on the globe that is blessed with a favourable environment. It receives two rain seasons in year, with fertile soils and fresh water spread in various parts of the country.
The country is ever green all the year round save for a few isolated areas like parts of Karamoja Sub-region where during dry weather, brown becomes more dominant than green.
In the 1930s and earlier times, most areas of Uganda were covered by natural forests. Foresighted as they were, the colonial governments at the time decided to gazette a number forests to protect them from encroachment. That policy protected the natural forests until the 1990s.
According to available reports, Uganda’s land surface had a forest cover of 24 per cent in 1990 and by 2015, this had shrunk to about 8 per cent, which is a loss of 16 per cent in a period of 25 years. At this rate, if no meaningful attention is given to this matter, Uganda will not have forests by 2028, especially the natural forests.
Bugoma forest, which is 41,144 hectares, is said to be the second largest remaining block of natural tropical forest along the Albertine Rift Valley.
The forest is known for preserving wildlife migratory corridors and holds other values. The forest is under serious threat with encroachment on it by illegal sawyers, charcoal burners, cultivators and farmers and other forms of developers.
In August 2020, Nema issued a certificate to Hoima Sugar Company to turn 22 sq miles of the forest into sugarcane plantation, an urban trading and settlement centre among others. This land area is extremely big with a variety of trees and grass species and other forms of nature/creation.
The loss of this part of the forest will lead to loss of biodiversity, the 260 species of trees in the forest will eventually disappear, increased temperatures leading to cases of food insecurity plus eruption of diseases, intermittent rainfalls some of which are so stormy that they destroy property and put people’s lives at risk, frequent floods due to too much silting resulting from soil erosion, landslides as a result of leaving the sloppy areas bear with no roots and vegetation to hold the soils together.
Others are loss of heritage and other values associated with indigenous trees, loss of sources of medicines, loss of habitats for animals, reptiles, insects and birds whose existence contribute to balancing of nature and attract tourists.
There is a high likely hood of the 23 species of animals including the over 600 chimpanzees, thousands of types of butterflies and moths, several types of reptiles and 225 birds losing their homes.
Bugoma forest is also a source of rivers and streams, which drain into Lake Albert that is shared by DR Congo and Uganda. The lake is of immense benefit to the communities around it and for balancing nature. If the supply of the water to the lake is cut down, the lake will eventually dry up. The lake is currently experiencing increased silt levels as a result of soil erosion.
Uganda made a commitment to addressing climate change concerns, including reducing emissions by 22 per cent and keeping the temperatures low when the Paris Agreement was signed and ratified by the leaders.
One of the prosed actions that would lead to the achievement of these ambitions is to increase tree coverage. Unfortunately, there seem to be a zeal for cutting down trees and more so in the natural forests yet reducing the size of the forest cover works against the planned intervention.
Production of oil will begin soon and a large international airport is being constructed in the oil-rich region of Hoima. Science has it that trees/leaves are good at managing the emissions. Therefore, trees are needed more than ever in this area.
Climate Action Network Uganda is a key player in the “Save Bugoma forest campaign.” The campaigners are getting resistance and threats from some agencies.
Currently, there is a heavy deployment of military and police personnel armed to the teeth. They are under instructions not to allow any one access the area that has been given out to Hoima Sugar Company other than the people and equipment that are for cutting down the trees and carrying out excavations.
Sources close to the forest indicate that trucks carrying large logs emerging from the forest under escort of gun-wielding security officials to unknown export destinations. This is a money venture for some people, but have deliberately disregarded the adverse effects of destroying the forest.
No amount of money can ever replace the values of a natural forest and if the Paris Agreement and the UNFCCC goals are to be achieved, if the people on this planet are to live in dignity and if the future generations are to find a world worth living in, action to stop forest destruction must be taken now. No inch of Bugoma Forest should go.
No sugar cane should replace Bugoma natural forest. My call is to all actors to reign in and get this forest and others in the country protected and for those that ordering and supervising the clearing of the forest to reflect on this matter and listen to voices and the cries against clearing the forest
John Mary Odoy
Board Chairman and Climate Ambition Champion
Climate Action Network Uganda
[email protected],
