Nelson Turyahabwe

An Overview of History and Development of Forest Policy and Legislation in Uganda

SUMMARY This paper examines the evolution of forest policy and legislation in Uganda from the colonial times to the present day and its impact and outcomes on the forest sector and livelihoods of local communities. It highlights a trend from highly regulatory colonial forest service (1898–1961) characterised by a centrally controlled and industry biased forest policy with limited local stakeholder participation; followed by the post independence era (1962–1971) that maintained the forest estate in a reasonably good condition through the process of command and control; through a non-directional phase characterised by disruption of economy, insecurity and impaired delivery of goods and services (1972–1986); to a more decentralised, participatory and people oriented approach that has typified the focus of the policy over the last two decades (1987-todate). It also presents the roles that different stakeholders have played in formulating the policy and legislation and analysis of issues pertinent to forest policy and legislation in Uganda, especially those that relate to decentralisation, divestment and participatory forest management. The forest policies were not translated adequately into operational tactics, strategies and programmes at the local and national levels. Despite reforms in the forest sector, new institutions created are not yet in position to effectively enforce forest rules and regulations on forest resource use, particularly private forests. We conclude that a forest policy without effective monitoring and enforcement of rules and regulations cannot maintain the forest estate in a good condition. There is a need for government to operationalise, monitor and evaluate existing forest policies rather than formulate new policies and laws.

Contribution of wetland resources to household food security in Uganda

BackgroundIn Uganda, nearly 1.4 million people are currently food insecure, with the prevalence of food energy deficiency at the country level standing at 37%. Local farmers are vulnerable to starvation in times of environmental stress, drought and floods because of dependence on rain-fed agriculture. Accordingly, the farmer’s means of increasing food production has always been an expansion of area under cultivation from virgin and fragile areas, especially wetlands. Consequently, Uganda has lost about 11,268 km2 of wetland, representing a loss of 30% of the country’s wetlands from 1994 to 2009. While the environmental importance of wetland ecosystems is widely recognized, their contribution to household food security is still hardly explored. In this paper an assessment of the contribution of wetland resources to household food security and factors influencing use of wetland resources in Uganda are reported.MethodsA number of livelihood tools in food security assessment including focus group discussions, key informant interviews, direct observations and a household questionnaire survey, were used to collect the data. A total of 247 respondents from areas adjacent to wetlands were involved in the household questionnaire survey conducted in three agro-ecological zones that are frequently characterized as food insecure.ResultsThe findings indicate that about 83% of the households experienced food insecurity. The main indicators of food insecurity were low harvest (30.9%) and when people buy locally grown food items (18%). Most households felt food secure when they had perennial crops (43.2%) in their gardens, or adequate money to buy food (23.9%). The prevalence of food insecurity was significantly lower among households with older and better educated household heads, but also among households located in Lake Victoria Crescent and South western farmlands agro-ecological zones, but significantly higher among households that were female headed, larger and participate in collection of wetland resources. Over 80% of the respondents reported that wetland resources provide products and services that contribute enormously to their household food security. Besides, they also indirectly contribute to food security by providing services that foster food production such as weather modifications and nutrient retention. Households with older heads and those that reside in the Lake Victoria Crescent agro-ecological zone when compared to counterparts in the Lake Kyoga agro-ecological zone are more likely to have a higher dependence on wetlands for food security.ConclusionsWith increasing population around the wetlands, coupled with land shortage and weather variations, households with limited options will continue to generally rely on wetlands for food security and income for sustaining their livelihoods unless alternative livelihood options are provided. There is thus a need to design appropriate food production technologies that ensure sustainable use of wetland resources for food security.

Total Economic Value of Wetlands Products and Services in Uganda

Wetlands provide food and non-food products that contribute to income and food security in Uganda. This study determined the economic value of wetland resources and their contribution to food security in the three agroecological zones of Uganda. The values of wetland resources were estimated using primary and secondary data. Market price, Productivity, and Contingent valuation methods were used to estimate the value of wetland resources. The per capita value of fish was approximately US

Wildlife damage and control methods around Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda

0.49 person−1. Fish spawning was valued at approximately US

Does Forest Tenure Influence Forest Vegetation Characteristics? A Comparative Analysis of Private, Local and Central Government Forest Reserves in Central Uganda

363,815 year−1, livestock pastures at US

Collaborative Forest Management in Uganda: Benefits, Implementation Challenges and Future Directions

4.24 million, domestic water use at US

Prevalence of household food insecurity in wetland adjacent areas of Uganda

34 million year−1, and the gross annual value added by wetlands to milk production at US

Land use/cover change and perceived watershed status in Eastern Uganda

1.22 million. Flood control was valued at approximately US

Proximate and Underlying Causes of Illegal Timber Trade in Uganda

1,702,934,880 hectare−1 year−1 and water regulation and recharge at US

Decentralisation of Forest Management — Is it a Panacea to Challenges in Forest Governance in Uganda?

7,056,360 hectare−1 year−1. Through provision of grass for mulching, wetlands were estimated to contribute to US