Feasibility Study GREEN CLIMATE FUND FUNDING PROPOSAL I
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Annex II – Feasibility Study GREEN CLIMATE FUND FUNDING PROPOSAL I Technical Feasibility Report Building Resilient Communities and Ecosystems through Restoration of Wetlands and Associated Catchments Directorate of Environmental Affairs Ministry of Water and Environment Republic of Uganda. A report prepared by the Government of Uganda, with technical support from the United Nations Development Programme Annex II – Feasibility Study GREEN CLIMATE FUND FUNDING PROPOSAL I Forward The Republic of Uganda is a country highly vulnerable to climate change, due in large part to its dependence on natural resources and agriculture. As with many countries around the world, it has experienced the impact of rising temperatures and erratic rainfall patterns, often associated with droughts and floods. In response, Uganda has played an active role in efforts to both respond to and mitigate the impacts of climate change. The Framework Convention on Climate Change was ratified by Uganda in 1993, and action was taken to ratify the Kyoto Protocol in 2002. The country has furthermore formulated national policies, strategic plans and strategies, including the development of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) in 2015. Recently Uganda has received a limited amount of adaptation finance from existing global vertical funds, including the Least Developed Country Fund (LDCF). A large proportion of Ugandans are dependent on livelihoods connected to agriculture, and wetlands affect the lives of many Uganda’s citizens, including those that depend on wetlands for food and clean water, for building materials and fuels, for grazing livestock, medicines, and for regulating the flow of water. In this way wetlands provide many resources required for Uganda’s development, with wetland services and products directly contributing to the national economy. The government has acknowledged the critical importance of Uganda’s wetlands, and Uganda is recognized for taking the lead on wetland management and policies within Africa. Recently the government has invested in building information databases to support efforts to protect and sustainably use wetlands. This National Wetlands Information System inventories 13 primary uses of wetlands in 30 districts around the country, as well as recording impacts and changes in wetland environments. It is clear from this report and other studies that wetlands are an integral component in efforts to reduce poverty, while at the same time sustaining ecosystems, and the services they deliver. This report identifies recent and ongoing efforts, and suggests activities, which can be expanded in order to unlock the potential for improving wetland management policy and pro‐poor outcomes in Uganda. It takes an holistic approach, identifying activities that can be undertaken to improve the health, function and environment within wetlands, including the ability to cope with the anticipated impacts of climate change. It also recognizes that engineering solutions alone will not alleviate the pressure on wetlands from both climate change and human activities. It therefore recommends measures to improve how communities utilize wetland resources (including climate smart agricultural practices) and reduce reliance on wetland services by developing alternative livelihoods. It further recognizes that responding to floods and droughts, which affect water and agricultural management, requires information, warnings and advisories ahead of time, and thus recommends activities that will help communities and wetland managers plan and prepare for these climate‐induced impacts. The Ministry of Water and Environment prepared this assessment, with technical support provided by the United Nations Development Programme. The recommendations formulated by this study will be used to identify and inform concrete activities for implementation to strengthen the resilience and adaptive capacity of wetlands and associated communities in Uganda. We look forward to working together with the concerned national and international institutions, UNDP and the Green Climate Fund to implement these activities. It is expected that the experiences gained through implementation of these recommendations will result in policy impacts and strategic frameworks that can be replicated in other wetlands and districts in Uganda and beyond. Paul Mafabi Director of Environmental Affairs, Ministry of Water and Environment. Page ii Annex II – Feasibility Study GREEN CLIMATE FUND FUNDING PROPOSAL I Table of Contents Forward ........................................................................................................................................ ii Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................ iii List of tables ................................................................................................................................. 5 List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... v List of Abbreviations and Acronyms ............................................................................................ vi Executive Summary ................................................................................................................... viii Chapter 1: Wetlands in Uganda and associated vulnerabilities and risks due to climate change 1 1.1 Wetlands in Uganda and links to the distribution of poverty ...................................................... 2 1.2 Changes in land use .................................................................................................................... 3 1.3 Change in seasonal distribution of rainfalls ................................................................................ 4 1.4 Increase in frequency of intense rainfalls ................................................................................... 7 1.5 Increase in temperatures ........................................................................................................... 8 1.6 Vulnerability to floods, droughts, heat waves ............................................................................ 9 1.7 Water quality deterioration due to excessive sedimentation and non‐native species invasion . 11 1.8 Exploitation of wetland resources ............................................................................................ 12 1.9 Impact of wetland losses on GDP ............................................................................................. 12 1.10 Key risks from climate change and the mitigating benefits of wetlands in Uganda ................... 13 Chapter 2: Project target areas and their environmental characteristics ................................. 16 2.1 Demography and land use ........................................................................................................ 16 2.2 Administrative Boundaries ....................................................................................................... 18 2.3 Wetland coverage in each target area ...................................................................................... 19 2.4 Quality and quantity of waters in the wetlands of both regions ............................................... 21 2.5 South western Uganda ............................................................................................................. 22 2.5.1 River Rwizi .................................................................................................................................22 2.5.2 Kyanamira‐Buhara micro‐catchment .......................................................................................22 2.6 Eastern Uganda ........................................................................................................................ 23 2.6.1 River Manafwa/Mpologoma river system ................................................................................23 2.7 Historical climate and projected climate change in the project area ......................................... 24 2.7.1 Observed climate variability and change .................................................................................24 2.7.2 Projected climate change .........................................................................................................26 2.8 Hydrology ................................................................................................................................ 27 2.9 Weather and climate information available for management of wetlands and agriculture ....... 27 Chapter 3: Current status of wetland management, agricultural livelihoods and use of weather/climate information ..................................................................................................... 30 3.1 Degraded wetland areas in eastern and southwestern Uganda and current restoration efforts 31 3.2 Developing agricultural livelihoods, including wetland areas .................................................... 36 3.2.1 Cropping systems .....................................................................................................................36 3.2.2 Livestock farming ......................................................................................................................37 3.2.3 Climate smart agriculture .........................................................................................................38 3.2.4 Micro credit