United Nations | Xinhua | UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called for the protection of forests and forest species, which provide livelihoods for the poor and for indigenous communities. He made this plea on World Wildlife Day, which falls on March 3. This year’s theme is “Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining …
Read More »Gov’t seeks 286 billion shillings loan to restore forests
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Minister of State for Environment Beatrice Anywar has sought parliament’s approval of a 286 billion Shillings loan request from the World Bank to restore forests in the country. Anywar presented the loan request before Parliament’s National Economy Committee alongside the Minister of State for …
Read More »The time to save the Ongo communal forest is now
Ongo communal forest becomes another victim of the COVI-19 pandemic; a case of custodians becoming destroyers COMMENT | Daniel Abowe | The Ongo communal forest in western Uganda is shared by four villages of Ogadra, Kibali, Onieni, and Abangi in Kasenene parish, Budongo sub-county, Masindi district. In 2017, ECO-TRUST supported the Ongo …
Read More »Environmental degradation is Uganda’s biggest problem-Museveni
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Museveni has warned against encroaching on forests, wetlands and steep mountain slopes saying it is suicide for the individuals and country. According to Museveni, the biggest problem the country is facing now is the disrespect for the environment which has led to the several …
Read More »Logging, charcoal burning persist in Mabira Forest
Jinja, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Charcoal burning and illegal logging persists in Mabira forest despite the deployment of Local Defense Unit-LDU personnel and army officers attached to the National Forestry Authority-NFA. The forest sections of Nagojje in Mukono and Najjembe in Buikwe district are the most affected with …
Read More »‘Killing without any reason’: Deaths in rural Ethiopia spark outcry
Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia | AFP | For decades, herders in Ethiopia’s Lower Omo Valley have relied on guns to fend off rivals as well as hyenas and lions roaming the forests and plains. But over the past month, security forces have embarked on a campaign of forced disarmament that pastoralist …
Read More »Gabon juggles competing demands in fight to protect nature
Libreville, Gabon | AFP | The lush green canopy stretches over the Akanda National Park — one of the many forest jewels that Gabon is fighting to conserve. But those living in poverty in the shadow of the park are ambiguous. They see the forests less as a global treasure to …
Read More »NFA halts Eucalyptus, Pine growing is special zones
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The National Forest Authority-NFA has halted organisations and individuals from growing pine and eucalyptus trees in excluded zones of the central forest reserve under restoration. As one of the measures of restoring the highly depleted forests across the country, NFA accepted individuals to grow …
Read More »Billions pledged to halt Africa’s forest loss
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | With the world’s forests increasingly under threat from climate change and logging, leaders and top bank chiefs pledged billions on Thursday to help reverse the steep decline in Africa’s woodland areas. So far this century East Africa alone has lost around 6 million hectares of …
Read More »NFA condemns replacing natural forests with eucalyptus, pine
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The National Forest Authority (NFA) is worried about the recurrent replacement of natural forests with eucalyptus and pine trees in many parts of the country including wetlands. Tom Okello Obong, the Executive Director of NFA says their assessment has established a growing habit …
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