RUBIRIZI: President Yoweri Museveni has reiterated the government’s commitment towards the protection and securing of wetlands across the country.
“The NRM Government is fully committed to environmental conservation and has integrated this in all its major policies, starting with Vision 2040, the NRM Manifesto, and the National Development Plan,” Museveni said.
He disclosed that the Constitution of Uganda and the National Environment Act 2019, plus 10 other laws, fully integrate environmental management, specifically wetland management.
In a powerful speech delivered by the Vice President Maj. (Rtd) Jessica Alupo, President Museveni called upon all nature-loving Ugandans to invest in protecting wetlands for our common future as he declared 2025 a year of wetlands action countrywide.
He emphasised that the government is committed to promoting sustainable wetland management and human development through collective action.
“To that effect, we have made several decisions as follows: the 2011 Cabinet decision to create an Environment Protection Police Unit, the 2014 Cabinet directive to cancel titles erroneously issued in wetlands, the gazettement of all wetlands, wetland restoration, and the demarcation of wetland boundaries,” he said.
Healthy wetlands are key in rainfall formation, managing the water balance above the ground and below ground, where water flows and is stored.
According to President Museveni, the loss or degradation of wetlands, on the other hand, can result in negative impacts on our health, water levels, and quality, as well as other key functions that wetlands provide.
The government has recently approved a 10-year Environment and Natural Resources Restoration Action Plan, which builds on the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration. It is envisaged that this plan will strengthen the already existing efforts in wetland restoration.
Due to the government’s efforts in restoration, Museveni noted that wetlands in Uganda are beginning to show some recovery, with the coverage of intact wetlands increasing from 8.9% in 2015 to the current 9.3%. However, the country still has a target to recover our wetlands to 12% by 2040.
The president explained that with the above successes, the country has moved from a situation where wetlands were regarded as wastelands to the present state where they are now considered as valuable assets for national development and poverty reduction.
Under the National Development Plan III, wetlands are a key sector for ‘sustainable industrialisation, inclusive growth, employment, and wealth creation.’
He further assured the people that the government will not relax until Ugandans appreciate the need to save these resources for both present and future generations.
The president applauded local governments that are taking his message seriously to manage vital wetlands.
“I call upon each of you in your various capacities to stop pointing fingers and blaming NEMA and the Ministry, but instead support these institutions by reporting and stopping continued wetland degradation, beginning within your neighbourhood,” he said.
He also urged the Ministry of Water and Environment, together with all partners, to double efforts towards securing our wetlands, which are biodiversity hotspots, granaries of water, carbon sinks, and sources of livelihood. Let us promote irrigation off the wetlands, fish farming at the edges of the wetlands, and also support value addition of wetland products.
The president, however, noted that there’s a need for more new innovations and value chains for wetland resources if we are to cause socio-economic transformation. “The academia, research institutions, and private sector need to take a keen interest in this. Let us support companies like MAKA pads that are already doing something positive by producing sanitary towels from papyrus,” he said.
He thanked development partners, non-state actors, and the private sector for their continued support towards our conservation initiatives. Last but not least, Museveni advised all those in wetlands to leave the wetlands peacefully, urging them to use the Parish Development Model to support our people, start alternative developments, and stop relying only on wetlands.
He called upon the private sector and all development partners to take an interest in supporting wetland conservation because it is key to our survival.
The State Minister for Environment, Beatrice Anywar, noted that according to the latest Global Biodiversity Assessment, wetlands are disappearing three times faster than forests.
This is confirmed in the recent National Biodiversity Assessment that places wetlands as the most threatened of all Uganda’s ecosystems.
“The consequences of environmental degradation are real, and we are now crying of high temperatures, erratic rains, and crop failure. If you watch global news, you will know that many disasters have happened around the world in the recent months, including wildfires, cyclones, floods, and hurricanes,” Anywar said.
She further said commemorating World Wetlands Day symbolises Uganda’s commitment to joining together the global community in affirming the common concern on the conservation and management of wetland resources.
Anywar added that the day also provides an opportunity to take stock of how much has been accomplished by Uganda as a Contracting Party to the Ramsar Convention since 1988.
Wetlands in Uganda contribute over US$1 billion per year to our national income.
The Commissioner of Wetlands in the Ministry of Water and Environment, David Okurut, appealed to all the different stakeholders and partners to reaffirm collective commitment to preserve our wetlands, invest financial, human, and political capital in order to save the country’s wetlands from disappearing altogether, and restore those that are degraded.
He acknowledged the enormous support from partners including Rubirizi district local government, UNDP, GIZ, WWF, Royal Danish Embassy, EU, ABi Trust, and Join for Water. Others are Nature Uganda, NEMA, and Teens Uganda.
