Environmental police officers and officials from the National Environmental Management Authority raze houses of people who had encroached on Lubigi wetland in Kampala on June 21, 2024. PHOTO/MICHAEL KAKUMIRIZI
The orange splits of sparks of fire arose from the flames whose light beamed onto the miserable faces of two mothers. As they held their babies to their bosoms, their sunken eyes were clearly lost in thought.
Across them, a middle-aged man grudgingly mumbled about the recklessness of two drunkards who kept insulting each other and about follies of life for the morally ambiguous lot like them, as well as those who have chosen to live a sober but seemingly painful life.
Beside the fireplace was a heap of rubble from concrete waste of houses that had been razed down by bulldozers earlier on in the day. With no shelter for the night, a number of residents of Ganda-Nakere in Nansana were sad and blue as they braved the chilly nights under the open skies, hoping it didn’t rain.
They did not have kind words for the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) under whose directive their houses had been razed to the ground. The structural destructions were part of Nema’s efforts to restore wetlands that have been destroyed.
Nema is mandated as a principal agency of the Government of Uganda with the responsibility of coordinating, monitoring, regulating and supervising all activities relating to the environment.
The earth’s kidneys
Ganda-Nakere is situated in Lubigi wetland, where locals had erected houses by destroying the wetland. A wetland is defined as an area permanently or seasonally flooded by water, where plants and animals have become adapted. Wetlands include swamps and areas of marsh. They are dubbed as the earth’s kidneys for their vital role in regulating water and filtering waste. They also act as natural buffers against floods and storms, mitigating risks for urban populations.
Forty percent of all plant and animal species live or breed in wetlands. Lubigi is 14.7kms from Kampala, Uganda’s capital. It is one of the largest Lake Kyoga drainage basin wetlands.
As the global urban population reaches 55 percent, and is projected to grow to 68 percent by 2050, wetlands face alarming threats, vanishing three times faster than forests. Uganda has 8,613 wetlands, which the government has officially gazetted, recognising their critical role in protecting communities from climate change and providing essential benefits for millions.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) recognises that the decision is aligned to the Ramsar Convention, which roots for restoration of wetlands and associated catchments. The convention recognises the critical ecosystems and any activities like encroachment, drainage, or pollution within the wetlands are prohibited. It is an international agreement promoting the conservation and wise use of wetlands.
Dr Musonda Xoliswa Mumba, the secretary general at Convention on Wetlands, an intergovernmental treaty providing frameworks for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources, says more focus is needed on drivers of wetland loss, through sectoral policy and other interventions.
She observes that consideration of wetlands in urban planning can help create liveable, climate-resilient cities, and adds that agricultural development is a primary cause of inland wetland loss through drainage and infilling.
As such, investing in wetland-based mitigation and adaptation is cost-effective, with many co-benefits. Wetland protection, restoration and sustainable use simultaneously contribute to the achievement of the Paris Agreement, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and the Sustainable Development Goals.
“Increasing finance for adaptation is of particular importance to reduce climate risk and improve equity and climate justice. Wetlands and their ecosystem services are vulnerable to climate change,” Dr Musonda further notes.
Healthy wetlands are essential ecosystems that provide numerous ecological, economic, and social benefits, making them vital for biodiversity conservation, climate regulation, water quality, and sustainable development. They play a role in biodiversity conservation.
Joseph Masembe, an environmentalist, explains that wetlands support a rich diversity of plant and animal species, including many rare and endemic species that are adapted to wetland habitats.
Wetlands are breeding grounds, nurseries, and habitats for a wide variety of wildlife, including birds, fish, amphibians, and invertebrates. A number of birds are found in wetlands and their surroundings.
As such, birding is one of the recreational and tourism activities that not only foster a connection to nature but also earn community tour guides and communities a source of livelihood.
The business case
Birding and tourism with its spiral benefits cannot be overlooked. Birders are wealthy tourists whose itinerary stretches to as many as two to three weeks. Longer days on birding excursions translate into more direct income for tour guides or safari companies, as well as the lodging facilities the birders use.
Other activities attached to wetlands include opportunities like fishing, boating, hiking, and nature tourism for the scenic beauty, tranquility, and aesthetic value, enriching people’s lives and enhancing wellbeing.
Masembe notes that wetlands help improve water quality by reducing nutrient pollution, sedimentation, and harmful algal blooms, which can degrade aquatic habitats, threaten aquatic species, and impair drinking water sources for humans and wildlife. He believes that if Kampala had healthy wetlands, flood risks would be greatly reduced.
Wetlands mitigate the impacts of extreme weather events by absorbing excess rainfall, storing water, and releasing it slowly over time. They act as natural sponges and buffers, reducing peak flows, preventing erosion, and protecting infrastructure, and agricultural lands from flooding, thus enhancing resilience to climate change and supporting sustainable water management.
Key to observe is the importance of wetlands in climate regulation by storing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, which contribute to global warming and climate change. They do so by acting as carbon sinks, sequestering carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in plants, soils, and sediments.
“This process helps mitigate the impacts of climate change by reducing the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, stabilising the earth’s climate system, and enhancing ecosystem resilience,” Masembe explains.
In the Brief on the Status of Wetlands in Uganda, published in February 2020, Beatrice Anywar, the junior Environment minister, notes that the wetland cover in Uganda has reduced tremendously. For instance, wetland coverage dropped to 8.9 percent in 2016 from 15.5 percent in 1994. The warning is that if the trend is not reversed by the deliberate and dedicated restoration programmes countrywide, Uganda will be left with only 1.6 percent by 2040.
Cabinet, under Minute 268 (CT2015), approved the Criteria and Operational Procedures developed by the Policy Committee on Environment (PCE) for handling cancellation of land titles. Cabinet also approved the roadmap for the cancellation of titles issued in wetlands and the restoration of degraded wetlands under Minute 223 (CT 2017).
