The National Forestry Authority and Uganda Baati Limited have joined efforts to restore forests around the country to conserve the environment.
In a joint statement, the two entities said the population of Uganda grows at 1.5 million per year meaning by 2025 the population will be 55 million.
“Unfortunately, this means that many people encroach on forests leading to one of the highest global deforestation rates. Each year, nearly 3% of Uganda’s forests are cut down for fuel, agriculture, and to make room for an increasing population,” the statement reads in parts.
They said at the current rate of deforestation in Uganda, the country is likely to lose all of its forests in the next 25 years.
The two entities said the repercussions of these actions are clear to see.
“Besides the landscape almost being completely devoid of trees, the dry season has become longer and filled with more droughts. The loose soil has caused heavy rainfall to turn into deadly floods, while crops are producing less and less yield,”
Current statistics by NFA also show in 1900 the Forest cover was 53%, by 1990 it had reduced to 24% and by 2017 it was at 12%.
Between 1990 and 2017 Uganda lost over 2.4 million hectares of forest cover. In 2019 there was a slight recovery in forest cover to 13% and that is a big scare to our environment that is why UBL and NFA are coming together under the Corporate forest restoration initiative.
Through this initiative, UBL and NFA agreed to have a memorandum of understanding that will see Uganda Baati plant 40 hectares of trees all over the country, 10 hectares per region; that is Central, East, West, and North, starting in September 2022.
UBL business head, George Arodi, said that they continue to contribute to the overall welfare of the community in which they operate through partnerships with key stakeholders.