Uganda Leads the Charge Against Bio-Diversity Loss
Last week the Global Assessment On The State of Nature was released by the United nations Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). The report painted a bleak picture globally, but also brought a stark reality to the environmental challenges facing Uganda and other sub-Saharan African nations.
The impact of bio-diversity loss is likely to hit Africa harder than almost anywhere else in the world. As things stand one million animal and plant species are now threatened, that’s 25% of living species, in addition natural ecosystems have declined by 47% and the global biomass of wild mammals has fallen by 82%. Perhaps most concerningly, local communities and indigenous people have reported a deterioration in 72% of the elements of nature important to them.
Uganda is by no means exempt from these concerning statistics. Last year logging increased by 8.9% for two consecutive months, and presently it is estimated that Uganda loses about 90,000 hectares of forest cover every year. This is having grave repercussions for our livelihoods, food and water supplies and quality of life.
A lot is at stake, The Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to elephants, hippos. lion, leopards, chimpanzees and 95 other species of mammals, the Rwenzori Mountains offers waterfalls, glaciers, nine lakes and an abundance of flora and fauna and the Bwindi Impenetrable National park is one of the richest ecosystems in Africa; with 200 species of tree, 220 types of butterflies, 348 bird species and our national treasure – the mountain gorilla. It is estimated these parks brought in an estimated $1.4 billion last year in foreign exchange, but without bold new environmental targets and initiative these irreplaceable ecosystems will fall prey to rapidly accelerating extinction rates.
Uganda is fortunate to have a great number of nature champions who are leading the charge against bio-diversity loss across Africa.
Just this week our Deputy Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo launched the #MyBreathtakingUganda campaign, encouraging local tourism and awareness of environmental issues. Whilst launching the initiative in Kampala the Justice called on Parliament to enact legislation that encourages re-forestation and the protection of land.
In addition, His Royal Highness King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV has been a role model for traditional leaders with his commitment to plant 10 million trees in 5 years. The King recently gave an address in which he reminded his people ‘Conserving the environment is a responsibility for us all. Let’s work together to protect wetlands, rivers, swamps and streams.’
Finally, our Minister of State for Environment Dr Kitutu, has been tirelessly campaigning for reforestation and the protection of ecosystems across the country, “As Minister of State for Environment in Uganda I have seen first-hand the impact we are having on nature and the implications this has for people’s livelihoods, food and water supplies. We are at a juncture and it is my hope that the release of the IPBES report highlights just how serious a commitment we need to make to protecting biodiversity. This can be supported through a range of policies; not least a commitment to reforestation, increasing protected areas to 30% and involving local communities and indigenous peoples in the management of wildlife.”
The release of IPBES’ report is indeed a warning siren that we are rapidly running out of time to protect our natural capital, but it is also an opportunity; an opportunity for Uganda to become a leader in environmental change and climate resilience and we should call on our African neighbours to take up the mantle too. By committing to protecting our land we can safeguard our futures.
You only really get quotes laid out in the way you did in a press release, not an article. Try and keep it natural, as if you are talking.