State of Uganda Forestry 2015 Report
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THE REPUBLICTHE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA OF UGANDA MINISRTYMINISRTY OF OF WATER WATER AND AND ENVIRONMENT ENVIRONMENT STATESTATE OF OF UGANDA’S UGANDA’S FORESTRY FORESTRY 20152015 FAO wishes to express its appreciation to DFID for the financial contribution that made the publication possible and to all the individuals named here for their valuable time and expertise. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policies or views of FAO. FOREWORD Uganda’s forests are an important and treasured natural asset contributing about 8.7% to the national economy based on conservative estimates (NEMA, 2011). Forests provide multiple benefits and sustainably managed forests give environmental benefits, sustainable economic development and improve the quality of life of people across the country. Forests provide habitats for many native flora and fauna species, renewable products and energy and contribute to the development of a green economy. Forests also provide a wide range of wood and non-wood products, clean water resources, and play a vital role in the mitigation of climate change. A key objective of Uganda’s sustainable forest management is to protect and enhance the health and diversity of our forest resources, while ensuring they continue to provide a range of environmental, social and economic benefits for Uganda’s present and future generations. The Ministry of Water and Environment, inspired by its commitment to fulfilling its constitutional mandate, has made strides through investment in various initiatives including support to commercial forestry plantations (SPGS) community tree planting (FIEFOC) gazetting national tree planting days and licensing private tree growers in government forest reserves. The other initiaitives include National Forestry Authority (NFA) plantations development, Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT). Despite all these initiatives, however, Uganda’s forests are faced with continuously worsening trends through encroachment, deforestation and forest degradation through conversion of forest land to other land uses. These include agriculture, urbanization and rampant felling of trees for timber, firewood and charcoal burning on private and government land, rampant fires and livestock damage on forest plantations. Overall, the country has been losing on average 122,000 ha/year of forest every year from 1990-2015. The greatest loss in the country is estimated at 250,000 ha of forests annually according to NFA estimates for the period 2010-2015. On the other hand, on average, only about 7,000 hectares of planted forests are established on a yearly basis in the last 15 years. This imbalance can partly be attributed to weak institutions, uncoordinated implementation of policies between different sectors of the economy, insufficient funding, and limited capacity at all levels which has undermined effectiveness and efficiency in developing and sustainably managing forestry resources in Uganda. Management of our forests should be supported by the best possible information and i | P a g e this State of the Forestry Report is a significant contribution to the knowledge required for informed management decisions. It is therefore my privilege to share some thoughts on this State of Forestry Report and to congratulate the Forestry Sector Support Department (FSSD), with technical and financial support from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for the production of this maiden report. This report is the first of its kind to compile information on the forestry resource, its state, management, stakeholders, its relation with other sectors of the economy, changes that have taken place in the sector and major drivers for these changes. It also provides the future outlook including projections on demand and supply of forestry products and services, changing landscape, emerging issues such as oil and gas, REDD+, climate change and institutional changes. The report provides an opportunity to reflect on the significance of forestry on the Ugandan economy and the contribution that forestry makes to Uganda’s transformation into a green and modern economy. This report paints a clear picture of the major issues surrounding the management of our forestry resources and will guide us to ensure that they are sustainably used by the present generation without compromising benefits to future generations. I encourage you to read this report to learn and appreciate the successes, the challenges and the ongoing improvements we are striving to achieve for the forestry sector of Uganda. For God and My Country Hon. Samuel Cheptoris MINISTER OF WATER AND ENVIRONMENT ii | Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Accomplishing this work would not have been possible without the input of many colleagues and friends. It is not possible to mention each of you on this page but accept my sincere appreciation for your invaluable support. Nonetheless, I will mention a few individuals who were critical in the preparation of this report. First and foremost I would like to thank FAO for the financial and technical support without which it would not have been possible to prepare this report. Fred Kafeero and Safia Aggarwal of FAO Rome are appreciated for their constructive comments on the drafts, guidance and advice during the writing of the report right from the inception period. FAO Uganda Office and its staff are acknowledged for provision of logistics that facilitated the timely completion of the assignment by the consultant. Special thanks go to Gershom Gunyalli Onyango, the National Consultant for Preparation of Annual Forest Status Report, who did an incredible job of writing this document, the first of its kind in the Uganda Forestry Sector; Langoya Council Dickson (National Project Coordinator-Forest Tenure Project) who provided invaluable advice during the preparation of the consultancy document as well as during the entire period of report preparation as well as providing quality assurance for content of the report. My thanks also go to Bob Kazungu- Senior Forest Officer, FSSD for being the link between the consultant and the FSSD, arranging programmes for field visits, one-on-one interviews and collection of the many documents for review and being on call, sometimes at awkward hours, to address the many challenges that cropped up from time to time during the preparation of this report. I am also indebted to Steve Nsita and Stephen Khaukha for their constructive discussions on the forest tenure systems, Joseph Agaba and Sarah Magumba Mukisa of FSSD who helped in collecting reference materials used in the literature review. I also acknowledge the contribution of Xavier Mugumya, Denis Tayebwa and Julius Ariho of the NFA for their expert advice on the Uganda REDD+ process. I also recognize David Duli, of WWF. Michael S. Kagolo, retired forester, Francis Esegu and Agaba Hillary of NaFORRI, Richard Kisakye of Nyabyeya Forestry College, iii | P a g e Paddy Kityo of Ndejje University as well as participants in the Validation Workshop and the National Forestry Forum for their priceless input on the draft reports. Finally, I thank and congratulate the team at FSSD for exhibiting high level of partnership and collaboration with development partners and civil society without which funds and technical support from FAO would probably not be accessed. Their enthusiasm to develop the project and prioritizing preparation of this maiden report since conclusion of the Forest Sector Reform Process (FRSP) is commended. All individuals and institutions that I have not mentioned but relentlessly supported preparation of this report in one way or another are appreciated. Adata Margaret COMMISSIONER FORESTRY iv | P a g e Acronyms ACODE Action Coalition on Environment and Development AfDB African Development Bank EA Environmental Alert CARE CARE International in Uganda CBO Community Based Organization CCF Chief Conservator of Forests CF Commissioner for Forests CFM Collaborative Forest Management CFO Chief Forest Officer CFR Central Forest Reserve CGIAR Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research CIFOR Centre for International Forestry Research CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora CLA Communal Land Association CODECA Community Development and Conservation Agency CRM Collaborative Resource Management CSO Civil Society Organization DFID Department for International Development DFO District Forestry Officer DFS District Forestry Service DLB District Land Board DRC Democratic Republic of Congo EU European Union FAO Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations FAOSTAT Food and Agricultural Organization Statistics FBEs Forest Based Enterprises FCBM Forest Community Based Monitoring FD Forestry Department FIEFOC Farm Income Enhancement and Forest Conservation Project FLEGT Forest Law Enforcement and Governance of Trade FMP Forest Management Plan FRP Forest Rehabilitation Project FSR Forestry Sector Review FSSD Forestry Sector Support Department FSWG Forestry Sector Working Group GDP Gross Domestic Product GIZ German Agency for International Development ICT Information and Communication Technology IFC International Finance Corporation IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature LG Local Government LFR Local Forest Reserve MFPED Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development MEMD Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development MTWA Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities MUK Makerere University Kampala MWE Ministry of