26 August 2008
Kampala — THE National Forestry Authority (NFA) has been involved in a fracas with forest reserve encroachers in Hoima.
NFA staff were replanting trees in Wambabya forest where encroachers had taken over 2,000 hectares out of the 9,000 hectares the forest covers.
Wambabya forest is a catchment area for River Wambabya on which a hydro-power dam is to be built. However, because of the destruction of the forest, the river has been heavily silted.
This is one of the many examples where destruction of environment has severe economic and ecological effects. Wambabya forest is not the only forest that has been destroyed. Many people do not seem to understand the importance of forests and wetlands to the environment.
Continued destruction of these invaluable natural resources has started exhibiting adverse effects on the seasons in the country. Rain no longer comes when it is expected and floods have wreaked havoc in some parts of the country.
The fact that the encroachers could attack the NFA team proves that the officials are perceived as intruders who have no business interfering with their livelihood.
NFA must not be intimidated because it is doing the right thing even for the encroachers. However, NFA needs to take a tougher stand against all forest encroachers countrywide. For the past years, NFA has not been vigilant as massive swathes of forests have been cleared.
Forest cover has drastically reduced from the original 24% to about 10% and the encroachment still continues. The contribution of forests to the economy and environment cannot be overstated, but people who encroach on them contribute very little in terms of taxes.
The global economy is shifting to strategies that conform to standards of good environmental governance for the survival of mankind. We must not live as if we are the last generation and must conserve our resources for posterity.
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