President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has called on all Ugandans to participate in tree planting efforts to restore land and build climate resilience.
In a speech delivered on his behalf by Rt Hon Prime Minister Robbina Nabbanja, during World Environment Day celebrations at Mafudu Primary School in the eastern district of Sironko on Wenesday, President Museveni emphasized the importance of environmental protection for sustainable land productivity and reliable rainfall patterns.
“We need to protect our environment to ensure the durable productivity of our good land and to maintain reliable rain patterns. We must protect the rivers and lakes from silting because they help us with transpiration that gives 40% of our rain,” Museveni highlighted.
“As we join the rest of the world to commemorate this year’s World Environment Day, every Ugandan must participate in tree growing to restore land for climate resilience,” he added.
The celebrations, held under the theme “Land Restoration, Desertification, and Drought Resilience,” coincide with the annual World Environment Day on June 5, which encourages awareness and action for environmental protection.
State Minister for Water and Environment, Beatrice Anywar, urged the people of Mount Elgon to cease cultivating on the slopes to prevent soil weakening and subsequent climate disasters. “Mount Elgon region is estimated to have lost over 500 lives due to mudslides and floods between 1987 and 2023. It’s high time that we stop these actions before it becomes worse,” she emphasized.
Anywar also reiterated the government’s efforts in distributing bamboo seeds for planting on the slopes to mitigate disasters.
Dr. Barirega Akankwasah, Executive Director of the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), expressed hope and optimism regarding environmental restoration in Uganda.
“We have been able to reverse the curve of forest cover loss, from just 9% in 2015 to now 13.3%. In addition, all wetlands in Uganda have, for the first time since Uganda ever existed, been gazetted, and enforcement operations to restore degraded ecosystems are ongoing nationwide. These efforts have led to an increase in wetland cover by 0.4% to 9.3% from 8.9% of Uganda’s land surface,” Barirega asserted.
Barirega also highlighted the recovery of wildlife populations, indicating improved habitat conservation.
“For example, the elephant population has recovered from just 1,900 in 1995 to over 8,342 today; Uganda kob, from 30,000 in 1995 to now 146,250. This can only happen under good habitat conditions,” he noted.
NEMA’s continued efforts to conserve the environment include automating the management of Environment and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) to improve service delivery. Developers can now submit ESIA reports online, with the review process completed online through the Environment Licensing and Management Information System (ELMIS), a service aimed at guiding investments to be environmentally safe.
World Environment Day, established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972, serves as a global platform for raising awareness and promoting action for environmental protection. This year’s theme aligns with the urgent call to restore degraded landscapes and protect essential ecosystem services.
Ministers, MPs, religious leaders, opinion leaders, and local leaders graced the occasion, organized by NEMA in collaboration with several government agencies and partners.