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NFA to evict encroachers
Mr Bismac Amumpaire, a journalist and the founder of the Pet A Tree initiative and his team plant a tree during the launch of the Pet A Tree Uganda Initiative at UWEC. Photo/ Eve Muganga
What you need to know:
- Mr David Duli, the country Director of World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) also lauded the initiative as a brilliant idea and committed the organisations support in the campaign to restore trees.
The National Forest Authority (NFA) has vowed to evict all forest encroachers in a bid to enforce President’s Museveni’s directive against illegal occupants of forest reserves.
Mr Museveni earlier directed government officials in charge of environment to evict wetland and forest encroachers in a bid to protect the environment.
However, the delayed enforcement of the presidential directives has instead given lee-way to new encroachers.
NFA director plantation, Mr Stuart Maniraguha said the authority has rolled out a campaign of evicting people illegally occupying government forest reserves around the country to allow the forests to regenerate naturally and save the country from future negative impacts of climate change.
“This (encroachment) has greatly affected us because on top of settling in government forest reserves, they even have land titles but since the president came out and gave directives, it has given us hope that soon our forests will be regenerated. Therefore, those occupying forest reserves should vacate immediately before we go for them and they shouldn’t expect any compensation from the government,” he said during the launch of the Pet A Tree Uganda initiative at the Uganda Wildlife Education Conservation Centre (UWEC) on Thursday.
According to him, the initiatives feeds well into the NFA objectives on sustainable management of the environment and this would be in line with improving partnership arrangement.
The state minister for tourism, Mr Martin Mugarra said, "The government has this time put its foot on the ground and it will fight this in every way possible when it comes to encroachment on its protected areas. We are going to do whatever it takes with the right ministry to make sure that we enforce the president’s directives to make sure that areas are protected for the benefit of you and me and even your grandchildren.”
The minister pledged support for the initiative which he said falls directly under the Uganda’s National Development Plan which provides 40 million tree campaign.
“The environment, by its natural, cultural-historical, social climate potential, represents the motivation of tourists’ travels, while a clean and unaltered environment cannot exist without practicing Eco- tourism,” he said.
Mr David Duli, the country Director of World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) also lauded the initiative as a brilliant idea and committed the organisations support in the campaign to restore trees.
“There is need to mobilize youths to join the initiative. Ppet names have always been part of the African tradition and it creates an attachment. Let’s use pet a tree to bring back the pet names practice,” he said.
Mr Bismac Amumpaire, a journalist and the founder of the Pet A Tree initiative said their mission is to protect and handover the plant to the next generation.
‘’ The uniqueness of Pet A Tree is not only about planting trees but ensuring they survive for generations. We are ready to work with policy makers, influencers, schools, media and communities to change the world to green,” he said before urging the media practitioners to embrace conservation reporting and shape the environmental narrative.
