In a bid to address the dire effects of Climate Change in Uganda, Uganda Breweries Limited and other private sector organizations in partnership with the government have embarked on a country-wide tree growing campaign aimed at having 40 million trees planted per year until 2026.
According to Juliana Kagwa, the Uganda Breweries Limited Corporate Relations Director who was speaking during National Tree Planting Campaign that was held at the Botanical Gardens In Entebbe explained that with the Running Out Of Trees (ROOTS) campaign 2022, Uganda Breweries Limited in partnership with other private sector stakeholders including Stanbic Bank, TotalEnergies, ATC Uganda and others have introduced geo-mapping technology to track every tree that is planted for the next 30 years.
The previous years, we (Uganda Breweries Limited) in partnership with other private sector stakeholders have just been buying tree seedlings and planting and that’s where we would stop. We would come back 3 or 4 years later and there would be no trace of the trees we planted. Now we want to cause accountability and as a result, we want to start tracking the trees that are planted for the next 30 years using the geo-mapping technology. Other Private sector stakeholders namely Total Energies and Stanbic Bank have donated USD 100,000 approximately (Ugx 364,805,000.00) and Ugx 100,000,000 respectively to the ROOTS Campaign 2022 while Mount Elgon Tree Growing Enterprise donated 3,200,000 tree seedlings to the ROOTS campaign 2022. Our goal is to ensure that the trees that are planted grow to maturity and are maintained. , Juliana Kagwa explained.
On his part, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Water and Environment Mr. Okot Okidi revealed that environmental rangers will be recruited with an aim of protecting and conserving the natural resources for generations.
The area of enforcement should be given priority and the recruitment of environmental rangers will help in the conservation of the Natural resources because if the enforcement arm is weak, our efforts to conserve the forests and other natural resources will go to waste. The environmental rangers will be a dedicated force responsible for the protection and security of the environment. We need about 800 environmental rangers who will be stationed countrywide and they will be trained to look at the environment in totality from forests, wetlands, and other protected areas, Okot Okidi explained.
Okidi added;
The planted trees will be mapped and information relayed and stored on a central portal to enable real-time reporting and technical support teams to periodically follow up and support the maintenance.
The Executive Director, National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), Dr. Barirega Akankwasah (Ph.D) urged the government to ensure that the parish development Modal prioritizes forest extension services at the parish.
All forest cover that has been lost is attributed to expansion in Agriculture and therefore Ugandans need to practice Agriculture that is sustainable. Ugandans need to practice agroforestry where you can have Agriculture and the trees using sustainable farming methods. We have moved from the concept of tree planting to tree growing and farming. It’s not enough to plant a tree but it is important to raise that tree so that tree grows to maturity, Dr. Akankwasah explained.
In her remarks, Vice President Her Excellency Jessica Alupo who presided over the National tree planting day that was held under the theme: Restoring Forests And Integrating Trees In Our Degraded Landscapes had this to say.
The call to plant trees is an effective way to reduce carbon emissions and restore National ecosystems. Uganda is currently faced with adverse climate change issues such as prolonged drought, mudslides, landslides and floods which are partly attributed to massive loss of tree cover. Forest restoration through tree planting provides an answer to all the issues, Alupo remarked.
