30 June 2009
editorial
Kampala — ILLEGAL timber loggers in Bufumbe central forest reserve in Buikwe, Mukono, last week assaulted officials of the National Forestry Authority, nearly killing one of them. The culprits, with the help of villagers, attacked the officials who had tried to arrest them.
The truck the officials were travelling in was set ablaze and the driver would have been burnt alive if the mob had not thought that he was already dead.
It is not the first time NFA officials are attacked while carrying out their duty. Last year, a forestry official was killed near Bukakata.
There are social and economic factors behind this extreme behaviour. What happened to the NFA officials could have taken place anywhere in Uganda where people depend on the forest for a livelihood, either for charcoal or timber.
Poor and ignorant people consider Government authorities as remote to their needs, good at law enforcement and taxation but not at helping communities to survive economically.
People are plagued by many pressures, such as medical bills, the cost of transport, the rising cost of food and essential commodities.
These pressures make them become irrational, obsessed with their short-term needs and blind to the long-term benefits of preserving forests.
There is need for a massive sensitisation campaign by local and central authorities about the importance of forests and swamps. People should understand that destroying them is ultimately destroying our livelihood and that of our children.
There are sustainable ways in which these natural resources can be put to use and people must be taught how to do that.
Sensitising poor people about the importance of the environment is a slow process and may not be easily appreciated.
In the short term, it is necessary to ensure there is adequate security for those tackling issues like illegal timber logging, poaching or encroachment.
The protectors of our protected areas need to be protected; they need not become victims of a just and noble cause.
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