Uganda Celebrates International Day of Biodiversity in Kapchorwa

Today, Uganda joined the rest of the world to mark the International Day of Biodiversity. The day was celebrated in Kapchorwa under the theme, “BE PART OF THE PLAN,” while the national theme was “Land Restoration for Biodiversity Resilience.”

The celebrations started with a tree planting exercise at Kapchorwa District headquarters where different partners including government officials, NEMA Executive Director and Boars Chairman, Uganda Biodiversity Fund, Totalenergies, American Tower Company (ATC), and UNEP, among others planted trees as a sign of conserving biodiversity for the future generations.

Later, during the celebrations at Boma grounds in Kapchorwa, the State Minister for Water, Hon. Aisha Sekindi, who represented the Minister of Water and Environment, Hon. Sam Cheptoris, noted that this year’s theme aligns well with the NDP III program for natural resources, environment, climate change, land, and water management.

As part of the day’s activities, the minister launched the Mt. Elgon project.

“My ministry is doing everything possible to achieve land restoration for biodiversity resilience. The ministry is implementing a range of projects, some of which have objectives geared towards the restoration of degraded ecosystems, including the Mt. Elgon project being launched today. It will help to strengthen national policies regarding integrated landscape management, climate-smart agriculture, sustainable land management, and natural habitat,” she said.

She added that the Mt. Elgon project will raise awareness about integrating environmental conservation with economic activities among local communities and relevant Ugandan authorities, NGOs, and will employ 38,439 members of the rural community, improving their income, livelihoods, and reducing poverty.

According to the minister, the Mt. Elgon project will also increase the capacity of authorities to restore degraded farmlands, conserve biodiversity, and promote climate change resilience among vulnerable groups, especially children and women. The minister also expressed concern about some politicians inciting the public against government agencies like NEMA when they are working to restore degraded lands.

The Executive Director of the National Environment Management Authority, NEMA, Akankwasah Barirega (PhD), reminded the community that biodiversity attracts tourists, and losing it would mean losing tourism income.

“This day should remind us how we have progressed in conserving biodiversity. We are losing biodiversity at a very fast rate, and without it, we can’t exist as humans. From biodiversity, we get everything that helps us thrive as human beings. Right from food, building materials, water, medicine, crops, and livestock, all these things are biodiversity, and we must protect them. Without them, we shall not have the air to breathe, soils to give us food, or tourists to visit. You have a national park around you, a rich culture which we can develop into a substantial base for ecotourism and use it to boost household incomes and national revenue,” said Akankwasah.

He urged locals to plant trees in their gardens, including fruit trees, coffee mixed with indigenous trees, and to mark land boundaries with trees. He also called for a reduction in the number of eucalyptus trees, which should be supplemented with indigenous trees and pine.

“Biodiversity cannot thrive when air or water quality is compromised. How we manage our waste affects biodiversity wellbeing. Let’s not litter or openly burn waste. When you burn waste, you pollute the air, and biodiversity cannot exist just like humans can’t exist in polluted air. Let’s protect wetlands, which are homes for biodiversity, and by protecting them, you protect a lot of biodiversity,” he noted.

The chairperson LCV Kapchorwa, Chebet Evelyne Kubarika, noted that Uganda has some of the best policies but struggles with implementation. She explained that Kapchorwa has an issue in the upper belt of Kwoti, where the government had designated 6,000 hectares for the resettlement of the community displaced from the forest, but the land was not degazetted.

“The boundary between the national park and the community occupies 8,250 hectares of land. However, as we speak, those people are still considered to have settled illegally on the land because it was not degazetted. Before the policy came out in 2009, the cabinet had okayed the degazettement of that land. We have had engagements with other stakeholders, but the process seems very slow. Madam minister, please help us expedite this process because the communities are suffering and are at the mercy of the government to resettle them permanently,” said Ms. Chebet.

She called on politicians to lead by example and urged the president to intensify the fight against corruption. She also noted that the environment office is underfunded.

Ivan Amanigaruhanga, the Executive Director of the Uganda Biodiversity Fund Trust, called on all Ugandans to play their roles in getting biodiversity conservation back on track.

“Look at vegetation, water bodies, waste management, the food systems, and everything around us. It is important that we use our roles to highlight bad practices that harm biodiversity. We need government agencies to fulfill their mandates, NGOs to make contributions, and academia to conduct research and inform actions at national and international levels,” said Amanigaruhanga.