A Community Based Project to Protect and Restore Katabalalu Forest in District Civil Society Organizations’ Network for Sustainable Agriculture and Environment in East Africa (CISONET)

SUMMARY CHALLENGES

Restoration of decreasing forest cover has been · Lack of funds EPECTED OUTCOMES/RESULTS identified as an urgent global priority in order to offset The project is designed to achieve the following · Poor implementation and poor inadequate community involvement. · Empowered 5000 rural poor smallholder farmers, the negative impacts of climate change that we objectives these are 1.To create awareness about women and youth groups to sustainably manage experience today. One of the major approaches of the importance of the forest biodiversity and its · Lack of land increase on forest encroachment the Natural Resource mitigating climate change is through halting the rapid deforestation, consequences. 2. To promote · Weak government policies and poor enforcement degradation of natural forest reserves. In , alternatives sources of energy sources. 3. To · Inadequate supervision or coverage of · Decreased land degradation through sustainable one of the districts which has been blessed with a promote alternative non-forest derived income- environmental policing personnel Land use management rich natural forest reserve but currently under most generating activities for women and youth 4. To · Lack of alternate energy sources · Increased forest cover through the number of threat of extinction is . The current improve on existing resource management of the trees planted in Katabalalu forest overall national rate of deforestation is estimated at forest through inventory and monitoring of selected · Increased Agroforestry best practices through 2% however, Mpigi stands at 32.6% loss and is taxa, land use /land cover trends, reforestation and A Large Expanse of Cleared Forest in Muduuma Subcounty tree planting campaigns among the districts with the highest deforestation enhancement of forest protection. 5. To promote · Increased household incomes through best rates in the country. At the current rates of integration of improved Agroforestry practices in farming techniques deforestation, if no action is taken to address the traditional farming systems. 6. To adopt proven · Gender mainstreaming through equal situation, it is anticipated that the forest cover will be sustainable agricultural practices that reduces RISKS participation between men and women completely depleted by the year 2035. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and enhances the effect of natural carbon sinks. 7. To conduct · Delays in release of funds · Increased availability of other energy source Most forests in Mpigi for example Katabalalu forest further research and innovations that are essential · Inadequate collaboration from beneficiaries or alternatives provides a unique sanctuary for a remarkable to invent the necessary adaptation and mitigation local politicians · Reduced negative effects of climate change diversity of endemic plants, birds and insects. solutions. The project will be implemented through · Un reliable weather · Effective project of monitoring & Evaluation Katabalulu forest reserve also provides a habitat for participatory research involving information · Inadequate transport to oversee supervision of many species of plants and animals whose generation on forest deforestation indicators, the ongoing activities. economic importance is unknown, which would then training of local communities in Agroforestry be lost with complete destruction of the forest. It is aspects, capacity building of CISONET in Deforestation effects on river drying in Mpigi district an important watershed for rivers that flow into Lake management of conservation efforts of forests in Victoria. The forest is also invaluable to the people Mpigi. The immediate beneficiaries from the living around it, many of whom depend on it for project results will be communities around the timber, fuel wood, herbal medicines, building forest. The project anticipates that community materials and food. The Katabalulu Forest is also forestry agroforestry interventions developed will important to the local community for a number of be out-scaled in subsequent conservation activities ceremonies and religious practices. Unfortunately, in other affected forests in Mpigi district Uganda. this valuable and unique forest is highly threatened due to encroachment for new land for agriculture and OPPORTUNITIES settlement and over-harvesting of forest resources. IPSI Activity Cluster: Most of the forest has been lost over the past 50 years. There is likely to be shortages of fuel wood · Presence of qualified stakeholders in the area and drying up of water sources in the future. Cluster4: Capacity Building Although the government of Uganda has put in to jointly implement project activities place good legal and policy initiatives to halt · Trained CISONET staff who will oversee deforestation such as National Forest Authority implementation of project Duration of project: 2 years (NFA) and National Environment Management · Opportunities for establishing alternative Authority (NEMA) they have not been sufficient to Deforestation in Kamengo Sub-county sources of income near the forests halt destruction to forest due to poor implementation and poor inadequate community involvement. Thus Budget : 200,000 USD · Opportunities for research in herbal medicine there is need for new sustainable Community Based · Increased fundraising capacity of CISONET Agroforestry approaches that result in increased agricultural productivity and environmental CONTACT INFORMATION conservation at the same time. A win-win situation can occur using a multi-stakeholder approach that Bukenya Isah Abubakar empowers local communities through developing community based Agroforestry and tree planting Plot No 27, Nakasero Road, activities. Therefore, the purpose of the proposed P O Box 29578, Kampala project is to contribute to reduction in deforestation Tel: +256- 414 234550/+256-706 585605 of Katabalalu Forest through integrated Community Fax: +256- 414 230748 Based Agroforestry Approaches. Email: [email protected] /[email protected] A tree cover damaged in Muduma Effects of Climate Change on a Maize Garden in Mpigi Website: www.cisonet.org