Interview on Bugoma forest
Conservationists of the environment have demanded the government to release; make public and implement the boundary opening of Bugoma Forest
By Jalira Namyalo
The unabated destruction of the green belts across the country has claimed large tracts of land comprising of Bugoma Central Forest Reserve in the Midwestern region, conservationists have cried foul.
Environment activists say that the country’s tropical forest is under eminent threat of destruction despite the long wait for survey report.
Records show that the government through the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development completed the boundary opening exercise in August 2022 but to date no report has been released and or made public.
The boundary opening exercise followed a cabinet directive issued in 2019 to open the boundary as a measure to resolve the protracted dispute between National Forestry Authority (NFA), a government body and the Bunyoro- Kitara – Kingdom jointly with the Sugar firm, Hoima Sugar Limited.
The dispute awaits hearing and determination before the Court of Appeal.
Mr Dennis Obbo, the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Lands said that they completed the report and submitted to cabinet.
The Conservationists describe the delay in the release of the Bugoma forest survey report as ‘double standards’ saying that government on one hand tells the oil and gas sector to protect and conserve the environment while at the same time allows the sugar sector to destroy the environment.
They say that by allowing the sugar companies to go ahead to destroy the bio-diversity in the forest reserve is very controversial.
Mr Gaster K. Kiyingi, the team leader of Tree Talk Plus says that the boundary opening exercise conforms to the original boundaries.
“I have not seen the report but that is what I know. I have been at NFA; I have worked with them but much as they will say that NFA have lost the integrity with forest officers and forest resource managers, the documents are there. A certified surveyor picks the coordinates and goes on ground but to your dismay and to the dismay of all of us, we will find the boundary as stated in the 1930s and nothing has changed,” he argues.
Kiyingi questions: “Why haven’t we re-surveyed Mabira, or any other forest reserve? Why do we contest only Bugoma? Bugoma is not under contestation, nobody doubts apart from the government, Bunyoro Kingdom and Hoima Sugar Limited. They went in and they are almost adulterating the boundary often times to satisfy their interests.”
According to Mr Kiyingi, if you ask NFA, they will produce you a boundary map which was conceived and mapped out in 1930s.
“Since then the forest has been intact, nobody has disputed the boundaries of Bugoma forest until now. Why is it now? The people concerned; Hoima sugar Limited, Bunyoro Kitara- Kingdom also knows this issue of boundary opening is to buy time so as they continue destructing the forest reserve. Because the boundaries are known, we should not be wasting time,” he explains.
He laments: “Whatever government is doing, we leave it to government to tell us. We lose one of the high conservation areas, with high conservation value. We lose the ecosystem with a high conservation value and area. When you look at Bugoma, it sits on the land with a land scape and it harbours a number of bio-diverse eco-system; flora and fauna but this country of ours have decided that we do not want the forest.”
Mr Kiyingi says that instead of defending the forest, the country is pursuing the sugar line yet the sugarcane in Kinyara and Lugazi is enough for Ugandans.
“Those involved in the purchase, sell and distribution of sugar know where the sugar goes. The sugarcane grown now in Bugoma is not ready for harvest, it is still juvenile but after three-four years, it will be marketable. If your go to Saudi Arabia, you will find Ugandan Sugar.”
The National Coordinator at the Climate Action Network Uganda (CAN-U), Mr Anthony Wolimbwa says that the (forest) land belongs to government of Uganda under trust as a central Forest reserve much as there is an area that is claimed by the Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom that has brought in a lot of conflicts.
“We had a lot of challenges in conserving Bugoma Forest Reserve with encroachment and investors who want to take part of the forest to grow sugarcane but also the local communities’ encroaching on the same land,” he says.
There have been claims of who owns what part of Bugoma forest but Mr Wolimbwa says that even if that land has all the types of ownerships, the country’s interest is to have the totality of that land under conservation because Bugoma forest is a hotspot for some of the endangered species.
“Therefore any act of taking any part of it will jeopardise the integrity of that forest reserve because environmental issues do not respect boundaries and the replacement of it shall be problematic. You cannot have the same elsewhere due to its uniqueness. In economics it may work but in nature it cannot work,” he says.
According to Mr Wolimbwa, the country have a lot of developments in the Bugoma Forest area including oil and gas that require a lot of resources especially water which is going to be drawn around there.
“The whole of Albertine region is one of the highest tourism potential areas and tourism brings a lot of money. So you cannot destroy such a resource which cannot be replaced anywhere and it contributes immensely to the economy of Uganda.”
Mr Wolimbwa says that failure by government to release boundary opening report raises a lot of questions and challenges.
“We are not sure why this has delayed. Could there be a conflict of interest among people within government. Could it have been captured by commercial interests or, what are they trying to guard by not revealing the report or if the boundary has been opened and the report is still not yet out, are there fears of unresolved matters that have not been brought forward.”
