Overview:
Uganda’s forest cover plummeted from 24% of the country’s total area in 1990 to 9% in 2015 due to the rampant cutting of trees to feed the soaring demand for cropland and wood fuel. But aggressive reforestation has since reversed some of the losses.
The European Union (EU) has given Uganda a UGX 167 billion (€40m) grant to help Africa’s largest coffee exporter comply with a new EU policy that bars imports of commodities whose production resulted from forest destruction, the Ugandan presidency said.
The grant was announced by Virginijus Sinkevicius, EU commissioner for environment, oceans and fisheries, as he paid a visit to President Yoweri Museveni, according to a statement sent by the president’s office late on Tuesday.
“The European Union is making available grant financing to Uganda to the tune of EUR 40 million (Ugx. 167 billion) in new funding to tackle the root causes of deforestation in Uganda while promoting reforestation and sustainable economic development,” said Mr. Sinkevicius.
He noted that the grant comes as a milestone that demonstrates common aspirations in achieving the European Green Deal objectives and the Global Gateway – the EU’s sustainable connectivity strategy.
“This includes enhancing the role of forests in the bioeconomy and nurturing our trade flows of wood material,” he added.
Uganda’s forest cover plummeted from 24% of the country’s total area in 1990 to 9% in 2015 due to the rampant cutting of trees to feed the soaring demand for cropland and wood fuel. But aggressive reforestation has since reversed some of the losses.
President Museveni welcomed the EU group and appreciated their support for the environment, saying it is great to protect the ecosystem including national parks and forest reserves. He added that the wetlands should be included in their conservation plans.
Both the EU and Government of Uganda have laid the groundwork for commercial forestry in Uganda, particularly in the last 15 years, through which the two have accumulated collective experiences and efforts to identify and implement inclusive solutions that strike a balance between different land uses, reduce deforestation, forest degradation and unsustainable conversion of natural ecosystems.
Commissioner Sinkevicius congratulated Uganda for being among the first five countries in the world to sign a Forest Partnership Agreement with the European Union at the COP-27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, where President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen ratified the Memorandum of Understanding on November 8, 2022.
Following that signing, Uganda successfully developed and validated a Forest Partnership roadmap on June 29, 2023, within the set six months as committed globally.
The new Forest programme will work through the following key areas:
To increase inclusive investments and decent job opportunities for women and men in sustainable forestry and forest-based value chain.
To increase forest cover by both decreasing deforestation & forest degradation and promoting forest restoration and community support to preservation efforts; and
To enhance the effectiveness of forest resources governance, protection and management.
The Government of Uganda and the EU enjoy a long-standing collaboration in natural resources management (forestry, water, climate change) for over 30 years but most recently in the past 15 years this collaboration has mainly been in the field of commercial forestry.
The Minister of State for Environment, Hon. Beatrice Anywar thanked the President for hosting the event as well as his continuous support to the water and environment sector.
She noted that the implementation of the forest partnership will contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 22% by 2030 and increasing forest cover of up to 21% by 2030, among other benefits.