Madinah Tebajjukira
4 December 2008
Kampala — THE Government has been asked to halt the massive encroachment on forest reserves to avert the timber crisis.
The Uganda Timber Growers Association said encroachers affect investor confidence and hinder the establishment of commercial forestry plantations in the country.
The association's secretary general, Sheila Kawamara, said: "Unless encroachment is addressed, investors, their financiers and partners are losing faith in Uganda."
Appearing before the parliamentary committee on natural resources on Wednesday, Kawamara also requested MPs to compel the Government to allocate redundant land to investors.
She said the move would provide security to private tree planters in the forest reserves.
Last month, top forestry officials revealed that Uganda will face a timber shortage in the next two years, which will persist for more than two decades.
Officials of the European Union-funded Saw Log Production Grant Scheme said only 1,000 hectares of timber plantations in Nakasongola, Lendu and Kyenjojo in western Uganda were remaining.
According to Kawamara, since 2003, about 20,000 hectares have been planted out of the required 80,000.
From 2009 to 2030, Uganda is required to plant 150,000 hectares of trees. To meet the increasing demand. 6,000 hectares have to be planted annually.
Kawamara noted that the presidential order, which halted forest evictions, had been misinterpreted by some local leaders to imply that forest reserves and wetlands were available for cultivation and settlement.
According to the National Forestry Authority, the numbers of families living in forest reserves has increased from 180,000 before the President halted the evictions to 300,000.
The formerly evicted encroachers have returned as fresh encroachers, Kawamara explained.
The parlimentary committee chairperson, Winfred Masiko, (Rukungiri) said: "This is good information for the committee because we intend to visit forests with encroachers to plan a way forward."
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