Let’s start by protecting existing forest cover

Kwania is mulling over the idea of making tree planting compulsory at household level for all homes in the district. According to the deputy chief administrative officer, Mr Bernard Olupot, they intend to put in place an ordinance to reinforce the National Forestry and Tree Planting Act of 2003.

Meanwhile, their counterparts in the island district of Buvuma are appealing to Parliament to gazette forest land to conserve natural resources. Records at the district show that more than 2,500 hectares of forest cover out of the 5,000 hectares in the area have been destroyed in the past decade. Officials attribute it to population rise.

The examples of Kwania and Buvuma making these appeals in a space of days is an example of how the fight to restore Uganda’s forest cover has spread, including to local governments. This is commendable and shows that these are not boardroom campaigns that end in Kampala.

According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, Uganda’s total forest land area was 4.93 million ha in 1990, but this decreased by 60 per cent to 1.95 million ha in 2015.

According to the Ministry of Water and Environment northern Uganda regional forestry officer, Mr Patrick Hans Igulot, it would require every Ugandan to plant at least 11 trees for the country to restore its forest cover.

This is a daunting task for a country with a population estimated to be more than 45 million people. Uganda’s growth rate, according to the National Population Council, stands at three percent per annum. Whereas the high population growth rate has its advantages, it has put a lot of pressure on the existing resources.

This has been attributed to some of the major causes of deforestation such as forest clearance for agriculture; energy such as charcoal and firewood; encroachment for settlement; for urbanisation and industrial growth, among other factors.

We need trees for many reasons, among which is to absorb not only the carbon dioxide that we breathe out, but also for heat-trapping greenhouse gases that human activities emit. Recently, the World Bank said deforestation in Uganda is among the worst in Africa.

If not tackled, climate change effects such as increased food insecurity, land degradation, floods and shifts in the productivity of agricultural and natural resources, are staring us in the face.

As we mark World Environment Day tomorrow, we need strong policies that will prevail over everyone, including the private sector and communities. As more people join the chorus of voices advocating for restoration of our forests, we need to begin by protecting the little we have left.

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