By Dr. Alfred Okot Okidi, Everlasting Secretary, Ministry of Water and Setting
Loss has dominated conversations about tropical forests for a few years. Declining tree cowl, rising emissions, and the stress on governments struggling to stability improvement with conservation have formed the narrative. Uganda is aware of these challenges effectively. However the world dialogue usually omits how international locations are responding and the progress being made.
Uganda’s forests at the moment cowl an estimated 2.4-2.7 million hectares, equal to roughly 12-13% of the nation’s land space, down from about 24% (roughly 4.9 million hectares) in 1990, with most of this long-term decline pushed by agricultural enlargement, charcoal manufacturing, and biomass extraction.
Nevertheless, focusing solely on historic loss obscures an essential shift. Over the previous a number of years, Uganda has moved from fragmented, project-based forest safety towards a coordinated nationwide method grounded in coverage reform, strong monitoring, and accountability. That shift issues, notably because the worldwide neighborhood debates new mechanisms such because the Tropical Forest Without end Facility (TFFF), which goals to reward international locations that keep forests by way of predictable, long-term finance.
Since 2022, Uganda has sustained and guarded roughly 2.5 million hectares of forest and different pure landscapes by way of a nationwide, jurisdictional method led by the Ministry of Water and Setting. This progress exhibits an ongoing nationwide effort aligned with Uganda’s Nationwide REDD+ Technique and its Nationally Decided Contribution underneath the Paris Settlement and types a part of a longer-term dedication to proceed defending forest landscapes.
Central to this effort has been the strengthening of forest governance and monitoring methods. Uganda’s Nationwide Forest Monitoring System, operated by the Division of Forest Administration underneath the Ministry of Water and Setting, attracts on long-running forest inventories, biomass assessments, and satellite tv for pc knowledge to trace land-use change and emissions. The outcomes are independently verified and publicly reported, reflecting worldwide requirements for measurement, reporting, and verification. These methods had been initially developed by way of engagement with the UN-REDD Programme and have continued to evolve in response to rising expectations round transparency and integrity.
Coverage motion has additionally focused the underlying drivers of deforestation. Safety and enforcement measures have been mixed with demand-side interventions, together with different livelihood programmes and efforts to scale back reliance on charcoal and fuelwood. In 2023, a presidential govt order addressed the environmental injury linked to the charcoal commerce, whereas climate-smart agriculture, agroforestry, and land-use planning initiatives had been expanded to enhance productiveness with out additional encroachment on forests.
None of this implies that the problem has been solved. Uganda continues to lose forest cowl annually, and pressures from inhabitants development, urbanisation, and vitality demand stay actual. In response to satellite-derived monitoring by International Forest Watch, Uganda continues to expertise annual pure forest loss at a degree of tens of 1000’s of hectares, an estimated 27,000 hectares in 2024 alone. However local weather outcomes are formed by trajectories, not snapshots. The course of journey, and the capability to measure and handle it, is what issues.
That is the place rising mechanisms such because the Tropical Forest Without end Facility deserve critical consideration. TFFF proposes a shift away from short-term, fragmented funding towards long-term, performance-based finance linked to verified forest outcomes. Eligibility is anticipated to rely upon demonstrated forest cowl, declining deforestation traits, and credible nationwide monitoring methods. These are demanding standards, however they’re exactly the areas the place Uganda has invested institutional effort over the previous decade.
Equally essential is the query of belief. Forest finance solely works when communities see tangible advantages and governance methods guarantee accountability. Uganda’s safeguards framework, hosted inside the Ministry of Water and Setting, addresses land tenure, entry to info, session, grievance mechanisms, and anti-corruption measures. Any revenues generated by way of forest-based local weather finance are meant to be reinvested into continued safety, enforcement, and livelihood help, lowering the chance of reversal and guaranteeing long-term affect.
Uganda’s expertise exhibits that forest conservation at scale just isn’t a theoretical ambition. It’s a sensible train in governance, knowledge, and political will. The nation’s forests regulate water methods, help biodiversity, underpin rural livelihoods, and contribute to nationwide financial resilience. They’re additionally a part of a worldwide local weather system that relies on standing forests far past nationwide borders.
If the world is critical about constructing a reputable subsequent era of forest finance, it should look past rhetoric and recognise international locations which are placing sturdy methods in place. Uganda’s progress doesn’t declare perfection, nevertheless it does exhibit readiness. Services like TFFF will finally succeed or fail primarily based on whether or not they reward that type of sustained nationwide effort; not guarantees, however proof.
MINISTRY OF WATER AND ENVIRONMENT
The Ministry of Water and Setting (MWE) is answerable for setting nationwide insurance policies, requirements, and managing water and atmosphere assets in Uganda. We work to make sure sustainable administration, improvement, and equitable entry to water and sanitation providers for all Ugandans.
Our mandate covers water assets administration, water provide and sanitation, atmosphere safety, meteorology, and local weather change adaptation. We collaborate with improvement companions, native governments, and communities to realize our mission of sustainable water and atmosphere administration.
Picture credit score: Ministry of Water and Setting.
