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Some people say that the rainforests are the lungs of the earth. Others call such people tree huggers. Nevertheless, there is near unanimous agreement that the rainforests are vital in the fight against climate change. Unfortunately, events are unfolding in Uganda that threaten the very balance of these delicate forests.
In December 2006, Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni demanded that several thousand acres of protected forests in Bugala Island, Uganda, be handed over for commercial use. His request sparked controversy resulting in the resignation of Olav Bjella, executive director of the National Forestry Authority (NFA) (www.nfa.org.ug) in the country. According to Bjella, he was given an ultimatum by the President: Sign over public forest land to private companies or quit.
Bjella's departure followed the resignation of the NFA's board and four senior technical officers who refused to be party to the forest clearance. These resignations represent a huge loss to Uganda's capacity to manage its forest resources.
The land that the president requested is to be handed to BidCo, a Kenyan palm oil company, for a 90-year license. The forest is to be cleared to grow oil palms and sugarcane. Onesmus Mugyenyi from Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE) applauded the decision of the officers who resigned. "These are real patriots," he said. "They did it in defense of the constitution and set a precedent."
Bugala Island Reserves
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| Lake Victoria as seen from space. |
Forest loss in Uganda is not a new problem. James Mayers, head of the natural resources group in the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), explained that it has been going on for a long time. "According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Uganda lost 26 percent of its forest cover between 1990 and 2005, making protected areas such as the Bugala Island forests all the more important,"he explained.
Bugala Island lies in the middle of Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa. The lake is the origin of the Nile, the longest river in the world. The physical isolation of the island makes the Bugala forests especially important as core reserves. Mayers pointed this out saying that "much of [Uganda's] forests are degraded and the Bugala Island forests are among the last remaining pristine rainforests."
Maria Mutagamba, Uganda's minister of water and environment, defended the move, stating that there is really no change in land use. According to her, the oil palm plantations will eventually grow up and become a new forest. She argues that this will substitute the cleared forest while being economically more rewarding. She also stressed that all cleared forests will be moved to a different area and replanted there.
However, Mayers does not agree. He finds it ridiculous to compare the rich rainforest with a large agricultural landscape occupied by a single species. "Rainforests contain many thousands of species that interact with each other and their physical environment in a complex way," he stressed. "Once a rainforest has been cleared, that diversity is lost. Rainforest regeneration is a slow process and may not even be possible, so even if attempts were made to convert plantations back into fully functioning rainforests they would be unable to succeed."
An Industrialized Uganda
Indeed, the Bugala Island forests are critical sites for biodiversity conservation in Uganda. According to IIED, the forests support 13 species found in no other Ugandan forest including trees, animals, and insects. Two of these species are native and indigenous to Uganda. The loss of the forest might mean the loss of those species along with them.
Justifying the clearance decision, presidential press secretary Tamale Mirundi said, "We have to balance industry and creation of jobs with conserving forest. Every Ugandan can plant a tree but not every Ugandan can put up a factory."
On the other hand, for many people who live near these forests, they are vital for their livelihood. Mayers explained that the forests provide a wide range of goods such as food and fuel. They are also home to many plants of importance in traditional medicine, which is the primary health care option for 80 percent of Africans, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In addition, the forests have a strong cultural value to many residents. "They are also a source of revenue because they attract wealthy tourists from other countries," added Mayers.
Mugyenyi from ACODE acknowledged that "people living around the area are not happy about the forest grabbing but they are voiceless. They depend on the forest for fuel, wood, and medicine."
Recently, the President's call for an industrialized Uganda has been increasing. The Bugala forests are neither the first nor the last forests the government wants removed. There are already plans to remove and relocate tens of forests around the country that the new board of the National Forestry Authority (NFA) has given the green light to. Baguma Isoke, the new chairman of the board, confirmed this decision.
"Incalculable" Costs
The Indian-based Mehta Group, which grows sugarcane plantations in several places in Africa, is also seeking to expand its sugar estate by acquiring new land in another natural forest: the Mabira Forest. The Ugandan government proposed granting the multinational company nearly 7,000 hectares, a third of the protected forest in Mabira, to grow sugarcane. The cost to the environment if this bid goes through would be, according to the old NFA board, incalculable. However, this is not important to the government, explained Mayers. "The government says extra jobs would outweigh losses caused by the removal of the forest."
According to a report released by the Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development in Uganda, unemployment in the African nation stands at 3.5 percent. A relation between unemployment and education was also found, with most unemployed people with little to no education. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) placed Uganda's GDP per capita in 2004 at half of the average sub-Saharan Africa income.
An NFA report released before the resignations details that the damage resulting from the forest clearance would indeed be enormous. The forest absorbs millions of tons of carbon dioxide from the industrial zones close to it. The tropical woods also help maintain the wet climate of central Uganda. The loss of this much forested land would bring drier weather and could hurt the crop yields in the mainly agricultural area.
It is not surprising, then, that the residents, who are highly dependent on the forest, have come together to form the Friends of Mabira Forest group to oppose the clearance bid. "You can't cut the forest. We'd lose our lives," said 50-year-old John Kasule, who lives outside the reserve. "The forest brings rain, we collect firewood from there, we use it for houses and rope. There are 40 types of medicine we would lose."
The Elusive Balance
The tricky part would thus seem to be how to balance preservation of the precious pristine forests with industrialization through sustainable development. Mayers agrees that cutting the forests will accrue some economic benefits in the short term, but this will go to a small percentage of the people — those who are already rich. Companies that clear the forest, build roads, and run the plantations will profit. "In addition, a fairly small number of poor Ugandans will be employed by the plantations," said Mayers.
On the other hand, he thinks there is ample chance for profit and development for many poor Ugandans over the long run in leaving the forests standing. The country could specifically benefit from the carbon market, which is expected to take off in the coming years. Through this mechanism, Uganda could be looking at millions of dollars in the form of investment in clean technology from the polluting developed world. There is a growing chorus of voices worldwide demanding that Western countries pay tropical ones to avoid deforestation. Mayers highlighted the advantages of this scheme. "Uganda could be looking at tens of millions of dollars per year overall, not just from the Bugala and Mabira forests. This would be in addition to the economic benefits that forests provide directly and indirectly."
In a report released by the NFA in 2004 titled "Valuing Uganda's Forests," statistics reveal that the forests in Uganda amount to a total value of US$350 million per year. Ninety percent of this value goes to Uganda itself, while only 10 percent to the international community in the form of foreign investment. According to the report, "destroying these forests will affect Ugandans far more directly than it will impact the world as a whole."
Mayers points out that Uganda's own Poverty Eradication Action Plan clearly acknowledges the role of natural forest in poverty reduction.
On the other hand, world demand for oil palm and sugar cane is growing fast. Global production of palm oil has doubled over the past 10 years and is expected to double again in the next decade.
Palm oil can be exported to generate foreign exchange. The sugar and palm oil industries are becoming more and more important worldwide and "can bring important benefits to countries such as Uganda," said Mayers. "But carving up protected forest is not the way to do it."
Mayers explained that there is a lot of suitable land for expansion of the palm oil and sugar market if enough effort is put into securing them. "It is difficult to see how converting protected forests into plantations will contribute to sustainable economic development."
"A major opportunity exists to meet the rising demand in an environmentally and socially sustainable manner — not through slicing off forest reserves and setting up huge plantations — but through expansion and improvement of smallholder production."
Sources:
All interviews were conducted by the writer.
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