Sacrificing Conservation at the Altar of Human Needs? More Like Digging Our Graves

By William Lubuulwa

If there is one thing Africans love, it is a good debate, especially one that involves land, nature, and a bit of melodrama. So, when I came across Njenga Kahiro’s opinion yesterday in The Standard arguing that sacrificing human needs for conservation is wrong, I sat down, sipped my spiced coffee, and let out a deep sigh of amazement. Because, if we are being honest, sacrificing conservation at the expense of human needs is not just a bad idea – it is a slow-motion disaster waiting to happen.

Let’s put this in perspective. Uganda, the Pearl of Africa, is blessed with wetlands that act as nature’s kidneys, filtering out pollution and regulating floods. According to the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), Uganda has lost more than 30% of its wetlands in the past three decades due to human encroachment. Take the Lubigi Wetland, for example. Once a thriving ecosystem, it is now a battleground between conservationists and people eager to build their next car wash or makeshift market.

We have seen what happens when we allow human needs to bulldoze conservation: the streets of Kampala turn into a swimming competition venue every time it rains, even if it is slightly more than a drizzle. Today, March 26, 2025, is one of the so many flooding experiences Kampalans are going through. But why must we always experience floods in such a small manageable city – a city we all enjoy to do business in? Don’t authorities such as Kampala Capital City, and the like need to more than double their efforts?

We Need Conservation

The argument that conservation ignores human needs assumes that nature and people are in competition. That is a misguided argument. It is like saying your lungs are in competition with oxygen. The truth is, we need conservation more than conservation needs us.

When Lake Victoria was overfished with no regard for sustainability, what happened? Do you remember? The Nile perch population declined by nearly 60% between 1999 and 2018, according to the Uganda Fisheries and Research Institute. Thousands of fishing communities that depended on it were left struggling – up to today. When forests such as Mabira are encroached upon, we cry about unreliable rainfall and prolonged droughts.

Uganda loses an estimated 73,000 hectares of forest cover annually, exacerbating climate change effects. When wetlands like Lubigi are drained, we wonder why our boreholes are drying up. The beauty with the environment is that it does not hold grudges like many human beings do. It just reacts, and strikes hard, and before we know it, we are crying and scampering for help.

No Nature? No Economy.

But let us not get the argument twisted. People’s livelihoods matter. No one is saying we should throw communities out of their homes in the name of keeping wildlife happy. We need a balance. However, if we were forced to choose, sustainable conservation must take precedence over unchecked human expansion. Why? Because without nature, there is no economy. According to the World Bank, Uganda’s economy is highly dependent on natural resources, contributing more than 40% to the GDP. There is no clean water. There are no fish. There are no crops. There is nothing. Conservation isn’t just about tree-hugging and taking pretty pictures of animals; it’s about survival.

Yes, the fortress conservation model of the past was flawed. But the answer isn’t to swing to the other extreme, where every piece of land is up for grabs. Uganda has already experimented with giving conservation a backseat in the name of human development, and the results have been less than impressive. If info I have accessed is anything to go by, Kampala’s air pollution is now a health hazard, with particulate matter (PM2.5) levels exceeding the World Health Organisation’s recommended limits by over 500%. On the other side, deforestation is causing landslides in the Elgon region, and Lake Victoria is choking on plastic, with more than 1.5 million metric tonnes of plastic waste dumped annually into the lake!

Voices We Must Listen To

World leaders have long warned about this. As UN Secretary-General António Guterres once put it, “Humanity is waging war on nature. This is suicidal. We need to rebuild our relationship with it.” Former U.S. President Barack Obama also stated, “We are the first generation to feel the impact of climate change and the last generation that can do something about it.”

Way Forward

The way forward is simple: regulated human activities that align with conservation goals. Let us empower communities to engage in eco-tourism, sustainable fishing, and responsible agriculture. Let us ensure that environmental policies are enforced and that conservation efforts directly benefit local populations. But let us not delude ourselves into thinking that ignoring conservation is the solution. If anything, it is a shortcut to our collective downfall.

So, the next time someone argues that conservation is getting in the way of human needs, ask them this: Would you rather adjust your lifestyle slightly to coexist with nature, or would you like to experience the thrill of drinking bottled water because all natural sources are too toxic to touch? Choose wisely today, and swim back home safely with unprecedented skill.

Mr. Lubuulwa is the Senior Public Relations Officer at NEMA.