Stop encroachment and restore Bugoma forest!
Introduction
Forests are vital to human wellbeing and for environmental health. They sustain human livelihoods by providing important goods such as medicines, edible fruits, game meat, and incomes for more than a billion people. Over 3 billion cubic meters of wood are harvested annually from forests for use as fuel wood and shelter. About 2.4 billion people cook with wood fuel, and at least 1.3 billion people rely on forest products for shelter. Forests also support industries, formally employing about 13.2 million people across the world and informally at least another 41 million. Similarly, forests provide about 20% of income for rural households in developing countries. They also provide cultural services that include spiritual wellbeing. Lastly, forests safeguard the environment by providing regulating services such as carbon sequestration that is vital for climate change mitigation. This mitigation function is believed to be cheaper than those in other sectors. Factors that threaten forests are many, among which include land use change and associated land cover alterations. Deforestation and degradation are results of both proximate and underlying drivers. Proximate causes of deforestation include human activities with direct impacts on forest cover, such as agricultural expansion, urban growth, infrastructure development, and mining. Proximate drivers are seen to operate at the local level. The underlying causes of deforestation relate to macro level interactions of economic, demographic, technological, social, cultural, and political factors that may operate at some distance from the forests they affect such as lack of land use planning and ineffective law enforcement. Underlying causes stem from multiple scales: international (e.g., commodity markets and commodity price dynamics) and national (e.g., economic
developments strategies, population growth, governance and local circumstances such as poverty and unclear land tenure)[1].
The state of the forests and forest degradation in Uganda
Uganda’s forests are categorized into four types: Tropical High Forests well stocked (430,888 ha); Tropical High Forests, degraded (136,280 ha); Woodland (1,161,610 ha); and Plantation forests (107,608 ha). Natural forest cover reduced from 30% of land area in 1990 to approximately 10% in 2015, an average decline of 1.8% per year.
Uganda’s forests (apart from plantations) have continuously faced worsening encroachment, deforestation, and degradation, in addition to conversion of forest to other land uses including agriculture, urbanization, and the rampant felling of trees for timber, firewood, and charcoal on private and government land, as well as rampant fires and livestock damage on forest plantations. The above have been partly attributed to weak institutions, uncoordinated implementation of policies between different sectors of the economy, insufficient funding, greed, carelessness, and limited capacity at all levels, among others[2].
Background on Bugoma Forest Reserve:
Bugoma Central Forest Reserve is a protected tropical rainforest located in Western Uganda in the South-western side of Kikube district, North-eastern side of Kyenjojo town and eastern side of Lake Albert and is managed by the National Forestry Authority (NFA). Bugoma Forest Reserve covers an area of 401 square kilometers (155 square miles/40,100 hectares), it was established into a Forest Reserve in 1932 and has been managed by the National Forestry Authority since 2003.
Bugoma Forest Reserve is a real biodiversity hotspot due to its astonishing diversity of floral and faunal species. There are over 257 tree and shrub species including 7 species that are Albertine Rift endemics, more than 12 species that are globally threatened and 14 tree species listed under IUCN’s Red List. Currently there are also over 34 species of mammals including 4 globally threatened mammal species, 9 mammal species listed under IUCN’s Red List which include primates such as over 600 estimated chimpanzees, the Grey cheeked mangabeys, the Black and white Colobus monkeys, the Blue monkeys, the Red tailed monkeys and the Vervet monkeys, Buffaloes, Bush Elephants, Uganda Kobs, Golden Cats and Side-stripped Jackals among others[1].
Challenges affecting Bugoma Forest Reserve
Bugoma forest reserve is threatened by human encroachment, poaching/hunting, political interference, illegal harvesting of local herbs, logging and timber cutting among others[2], and the most recent one over the last six years, being the controversial give away of approximately 5579 hectares of the forest reserve to Hoima Sugar, the second major sugar factory which is owned by Rai Holdings Group in the Bunyoro sub-region. The company is found in Kikuube District and is valued at about US$42 million and currently produces 1,500 tonnes of sugar per day[3].
The giveaway was protested by different stakeholders including NFA which in 2018 moved to the high court to block the Bunyoro Kingdom, Hoima Sugar and Land commission, over trespass but court ruled against it[4]. Later a number of environmentalists filed a notice of appeal to contest a judgment dismissing an application challenging the giveaway of Bugoma central forest reserve. The environmentalists argued that Hoima Sugar made inadequate assessment. For instance, they accused the farm of not advertising through media for people to respond to their plans as part of the Social Impact Assessment. Environmentalists further argued that the giveaway of the forest for sugarcane growing presents adverse environmental and climate change threats[5].
On the 17th February 2022, the boundary opening exercise for Bugoma forest resumed after the exercise was halted by the district security committee led by the Kikuube Resident District Commissioner, RDC Amlan Tumusiime that stakeholders complained that the boundary reopening team was not following the guidelines issued earlier. The exercise kicked off with the sensitization of different stakeholders[6]. However according to NFA office in Hoima district, the report has never been shared
However according to the third National Development Plan (NDP 111 2020/21 – 2024/25 Uganda commits itself to restore and maintain 102,000 ha of degraded forests LULUF target by 2024[7], but it’s a shame that since then Bugoma forest reserve has continued to fall prey to the greedy and careless individuals who have continued to clear the forest for their selfish gains by growing maize and sugarcane and the following are very recent observed key incidences:
- Hoima sugar company has tactically resorted to availing land to individuals to grow crops such maize and later will vacate the land leaving it for them to grow their sugar cane
- Caterpillars continue to be seen heavily clearing the forest. RDC Kikuube and RPC have been implicated in this matter where they both have ground teams assigned to bring in money from the forest
- There is continuous intimidation on NFA and other members of public who work to conserve the Bugoma forest reserve. For instance, a staff from NFA was arrested for stopping the trespass of one staff of Hoima sugar company beyond the demarcated boundary of the forest.
- There is lack of coordination and collaboration between NFA and other district local and political offices. While NFA is putting more efforts to conserve the forest, other offices such as the RDC and RPC continue to support the encroachment. The government at the same time continues to give out permits for people who encroach on the forest.
- There is lack of respect of laws and interventions put in place to govern the protection of the forest
Recommendations
- We urge government to fulfill its constitutional mandate of protecting the natural resources including forests
- We urge government to create a conducive environment by supporting, protecting NFA to execute its role as prescribed in the constitution
- We call for urgent coordination and adequate collaboration among the different government and political players such as district natural resource office, district forestry offices, NFA, RDCS, areas members of parliament to jointly fulfill their constitutional mandate and support the conservation of the forest as well as stopping the ongoing encroachment on the forest.
- Hoima sugar company should acquire a suitable land on the market other than encroaching on the protected landscapes like the Bugoma forest reserve
- We urge developers and people holding political offices to always respect the laws governing the protection of Natural Resources including forests.
[1] https://greeninguganda.org/Projects/Bugoma_Forest_Tree_Planting
[2] https://greeninguganda.org/Projects/Bugoma_Forest_Tree_Planting
[3] https://www.independent.co.ug/conservationists-want-bugoma-forest-made-national-park/
[4] https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/report/why-court-ruled-against-nfa-in-bugoma-forest-118211
[5]https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/uganda-environment-appeal-granting-forest-reserve-to-hoima-sugar-say-move-will-exacerbate-climate-change/
[6] https://www.greenradio.ug/bugoma-forest-boundary-opening-resumes/
[7]https://climate-laws.org/document/third-national-development-plan-ndpiii-2020-21-2024-25_6c91
[1] https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijfr/2021/8860643/
[2] Bio Vision Africa- IFPA-CD monitoring report
