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Ugandan Minister Hails Environmentalists Over Forest Row

Posted on: Monday, 4 September 2006, 06:00 CDT

Text of report by Salome Alweny entitled "Minister praises efforts to save Mabira" published by Ugandan newspaper The New Vision website on 4 September

Ms Jesca Eriyo, the minister of state for environment, on Saturday [2 September] commended the National Forest Authority for the fight they are putting up to save Mabira forest.

Eriyo was on a study tour of Mabira forest. She urged National Forest Authority (NFA) to "fight" and save other forests countrywide. Eriyo had gone to study the land on which Mehta [Group of Companies] wants to grow Sugarcane.

President Yoweri Museveni recently directed the Ministry of Water and Environment to allocate part of the forest to the Mehta Group of Companies to plant sugarcane for their company, the Sugar Corporation of Uganda Limited (Scoul).

This was after the NFA had advised the president that giving the forest to the investor would negatively impact on the environment. The directive followed a request by the Mehta Group Chairman, Mr Mehta Mahendra, for 71.00 hectares of land in the forest reserve. The negative effects include loss of biodiversity which attracts tourists and effects on the rainfall pattern.

River Sezibwa originates from Mabira. The forest also acts as a carbon sink that absorbs air pollutants. Its loss would lead to increased air pollutants especially because of its strategic location between the industrial centres of Kampala and Jinja. NFA is a semi-autonomous government agency charged with managing forest reserves countrywide.

The NFA and environmental organizations such as Nature Uganda, the National Association of Professional Environmentalists, Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment and environmental activists. The government has already given away huge chunks of forests in Kalangala District to edible oil firm Bidco.

Eriyo had a nature walk through the forest starting from Nagojje, in Mukono District where she was unexpectedly joined by the minister of trade and industry, Ms Janat Mukwaya. Mukwaya arrived aboard a car belonging to Mr Rao, a Mehta Group official, who whisked her away shortly after they arrived at Nagojje.

Eriyo was accompanied to the ecotourism centre in Mabira by the executive-director of the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), Dr Henry Aryamanya Mugisha, the executive-director of NFA, MrOlav Bjella, and the comissioner for environment affairs, Mr Eliphaz Bazira, among others officials.

She also visited the paper mulberry tree species site, and ended her tour at Bugule area at Gongo B parish in Wakabi subcounty. Eriyo said she was impressed that the NFA had done a good job of ensuring that the forest that was once heavily encroached on had regenerated itself.

NFA has planted trees in an area that was encroached on, animals and birds have started returning and even people around are benefiting from the forest through collaborative forest management. Through this programme, the NFA allows communities to extract materials like those for making baskets, getting medicinal plants and extracting honey.

Eriyo declined to comment on whether the Mehta Group of companies should be given a part of the forest or not saying she will discuss with the company on the best and possible alternatives to where they could plant sugar cane.

Mabira forest is among the few surviving natural forests in Uganda. Daily Monitor found out yesterday that the exact area the Mehta Group is interested in contains endemic tree species found no where else in the world. Some of them include species used for making boats.

The area also contains plots owned by International Forestry Resources and Institution for Sustainable Agriculture, Research Collaboration.

(c) 2006 BBC Monitoring Africa. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.

Source: BBC Monitoring Africa

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