Uganda questioned on planting exotic trees

Uganda questioned on planting exotic trees

 By Hope Mafaranga

The Minister of environment in Buganda Kingdom has questioned the Government why it is promoting planting of exotic trees at the expense of indigenous trees.

“We had our indigenous trees and forests which have been cut down and they are being replaced by eucalyptus and pines. We have to reintroduce our indigenous trees and forests,” said Prosscovia Nanyonga

Nanyonga who was representing Mariam Mayanja Nkalubo, the Minister of Environment lands, agriculture, trade, cooperatives and community services at Mengo was speaking at the Media Center in Kampala today.

Nanyonga was part of a team of a press conference called by environmental activists, Youth Go Green, Climate Action Network (Uganda) and Oxfam International (Uganda).

She said they were going to plant indigenous trees across Uganda starting in the counties of Busiro and Kyagwe where they have secured land belonging to private land owners.

Nanyonga said climate change is real and that it is already hitting Uganda in many ways.

She cited the receding of Lake Wamala where climate change is taking a toll on the lake.

This, according to Nanyonga has been accelerated by planting of eucalyptus trees in the catchment of Lake Wamala.

She described eucalyptus as a greedy tree pointing out that it was depleting water and that natural water bodies including wells, wetlands and lakes where water has always been permanent are drying up.

“We want to plant trees but we are not going to plant eucalyptus and pines,” said Nanyonga, adding that this was out of step with restoring the natural environment.

She said they were going to plant 10,000 indigenous trees with some of the young people as part of the activities to remind the world that there is still unfinished business regarding climate change.

NFA responds

Given that the population of Uganda is about 41m, there is need for fast growing trees to meet the demand of timber and poles for construction, according to Tom Okello, the executive director of the National Forestry Authority ( NFA).

“We are practicing modern forestry for provision of different goods and services,” said Okello said.

Kampala consumes a lot of cement and all this houses people are building need to be roofed, according to Okello.

“But with the slow growth of trees, we cannot meet the needs of a fast growing population, we cannot rely on indigenous tree species and the demand is going up. This means that we have to grow fast maturing trees. We need a balance of the two species-indigenous and exotic,” he said.

Protest walk

Edwin Muhumuza, the Chief Executive Officer for the Youth Go Green said they were going to organize a protest match on climate change on Friday.

He said the protest walk by young people and their partners is expected to start from City Square, proceed to Jinja Road and then branch to Garden City and Parliament.

He said they have prepared a petition which will be handed over to Rebecca Kadaga, the speaker of Parliament.

The petition is reminding Government to be more ambitious in addressing impacts of climate change.

The protest match is being organised ahead of the Climate Change summit in New York in the US in the coming week.

Muhumuza said the Government had signed protocols including the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement on climate change but more action on adaption (coping with adverse impacts) to the changing climate.

 He also said they want to see protection of the environment taken seriously.

“We have policies on the environment and climate change but wetlands are being degraded, we want more action because healthy ecological systems shield people from adverse impacts of climate,” said Muhumuza.

Harriet Mbabazi, resilience Manager from Oxfam International (Uganda) said the weather had become unpredictable resulting into declining quantity and quality of food. She said the youth were the future of the country and that it is important to secure the future of the youth by securing a healthy environment.

She also said they were amplifying the voice of the voiceless including the youth and pastoralists.

She also beaconed the public to join the movement to demand for accountability from world leaders.