Environmental challenges in 2024

Welcome back from the countryside, especially, if you travel by road transport. I hope you had a long transect observation of the country’s social and environmental conditions. You could have observed vast positive changes, but also, the long-converted indigenous forests and rangelands into farms and gardens.

In some parts, the local towns are expanding. If you traveled in December, the countryside was likely still green, but the sight of hills covered by mild grass was evident. Some areas still bear signs of recent indigenous forest cutting and the valleys still have the indigenous palm plants and other signs of having hosted a dark wetland forest. You could have also had a chance to see some papyrus and the remaining patches of its cover.  When you passed a forest reserve, you were likely glad about the cool, fresh air and the truly refreshing shade, only to realise that your eyes could see the garden a few metres behind the reserve. In some places, tree plantations were also elaborate, only that they were normally homogenous species- and mostly eucalyptus. Do you remember some small lakes or crossing rivers and signaling a sign of crossing into another district or sub-region, and occasionally signaling closeness to arrival?  Alternatively, your destination was through some flat plains, green and inviting.

 Indeed, there was a lot to see, miss and if you had an opinion, you would say we need to do more to preserve and protect the environment, but better still, as we improve people’s livelihood and social status.

Whatever you see, normally gets documented by Nema and other related agencies and disseminated as a ‘State of the Environment report for Uganda’ among other updates. The content of these reports indicates ‘extreme’ changes that have happened in the previous 30+ years, with various sources recording a fall from 31 percent to about 15 percent forestry cover/land, a 15 percent to 13 percent decline in wetlands area, and an average annual increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius in temperature rise.

To comprehend the changes and figures, remember some of the changes are gradual, others spontaneous, and others the effects are locally located and in other cases, national. Additionally, we cannot quantify or even qualify every change. Some changes are physical while others are spiritual and emotional feelings, yet, all changes matter.

That is why I am rallying your candid observations and response so that this year, and the coming ones, we are on the same page of sustainable environmental use and development.

Remember, constitutionally, you have a right to a clean and healthy environment. But to achieve that right, our obligations include sustainably depending on the forests, wetlands, and land in general, thereby, reducing the chances of extremes.

Ms Juliet Katusiime Zizinga (PhD) is an environmental sustainability researcher and advocate.