Forests are the second-largest carbon storage sites after the oceans, according to a UN study on forests and climate change, as they take in carbon from the atmosphere and store this below and above ground to prevent the emission of massive volumes of carbon dioxide which would exacerbate the climatic problem. These findings by the UN are yet more evidence that it is hoped will discourage nations around the globe from destroying their forest cover.
However, Uganda, which previously had about 5 million hectares (ha) of forest cover, has, over the last three decades, done exactly the opposite. It is reported that this east African nation’s forest cover decreased from 4.9 million ha or 24% of the country’s total area in 1990 to 1.83 million ha or 9% in 2018. This trend then continued alarmingly, with the country losing another 63,268 ha of tree cover in 2019 and 73,603 ha in 2020.
Widespread logging and increasing air pollution
The last three decades have seen the logging of 62.5% of Uganda’s forest land mainly for agricultural expansion, wood extraction and infrastructure expansion such as road construction and urbanization. It is predicted that, should this trend continue, by 2050 there will be no trees left outside of protected areas.
According to an Afrobarometer survey, most Ugandans believe that pollution is a major concern in their community and rank deforestation as the most significant environmental issue, followed by rubbish disposal and plastic bags.
As the country strives to achieve sustainable development, the need to address this pressing environmental issue becomes paramount. Air pollution, a ubiquitous challenge in many parts of the world, has taken a firm grip of Uganda’s major urban centers, particularly Kampala, the capital city.
A State of Global Air report in 2020 found that air pollution has claimed the lives of 25,000 to 27,000 Ugandans every year since 1990, or about 750,000 people over the past 30 years, a sobering statistic that highlights the urgency of the situation.
Uganda’s current PM2.5 concentration is 28µg/m³ which is above the World Health Organization (WHO)’s recommended threshold value of 15 µg/m³ for a 24-hour average, according to statistics from the Air Quality Index. This indicates that the concentration of particle pollution is currently 0.86 times higher than the WHO recommends.
Uganda is among the most polluted countries in the world, ranking 17th with Kampala ranking 8th among the most polluted cities in Africa. Kampala has been particularly hard hit by the pollution wave standing at 37 µg/m³, 1.46 times above the recommended WHO level.
Key state policies effects
The State Minister for Water and Environment, Beatrice Anywar, concurred that the annual decline in Uganda’s forest cover from 24% to 9% has made the country one of the fastest deforesting nations in the world.
“I absolutely agree that deforestation contributes significantly to the country’s rising air pollution levels. Nonetheless, the Ugandan government has put in place a number of measures to fight air pollution and enhance the quality of the air we breathe,” she said.
According to the minister, one of the key policies established by Uganda to fight air pollution is the National Environment Act which was enacted in 1995 to secure environmental conservation and management including measures to control air pollution.
Among other initiatives, the minister also mentioned the Emission Regulations and Air Quality Standards which are intended to set limits on harmful pollutants as well as the National Environment Policy which provides for measures to promote renewable energy sources, improve waste management practices, and reduce emissions from vehicles and industries.
The government has even established the Environmental Protection Police Unit to ensure the enforcement of forestry-related legislation.
Poor results obtained
Nevertheless, the measures taken thus far have failed to bring to an end the loss of forest cover in Uganda. Over the past few years, the country has managed to restore just 3,500 ha of degraded forests and plant trees on about 5,400 ha of the 60,000 ha allocated for commercial tree plantations. These numbers are truly insignificant for a country whose population, mainly the less well-off, largely depends on forests for food, energy, clean water, soil fertility and quality of life.
