Enhancing Long-Term Financing for Sustainable Forest-Based Industries to Contribute to Climate Action
Every 21st of March, Uganda joins the rest of the world in commemorating the International Day of Forests. Proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012, this day is meant to celebrate and raise awareness about the importance of all types of trees and forests.
The theme for 2023 is “Forests and Health.” This is related to the benefits provided by forests for human health such as clean air and water, climate action, forest foods, life-saving medicines, and generally improving our well-being. COVID-19 is one of the best reminders of how forests directly or indirectly provide important health benefits to people all over the world. Warburgia Ugandensis, commonly known as the greenheart tree (locally known as ‘Mukuzannume’), is a medicinal tree whose extracts became an ingredient for making Covidex, an approved herbal medicine for treating viral infections arising from COVID-19 at a time when the world was grappling with medical solutions to manage the pandemic.
The Forest Investment Program for Uganda (2017) estimates the national GDP contribution of forests to be 5.2%. The report values indirect benefits of forests at UGX 60.8 billion for watershed protection and UGX 56.4 billion for carbon sequestration, among others. Further, the sector supports 94% of household energy for cooking, generates tourism revenue, taxes, employment, and household income, and supports the growth of other sectors such as real estate, construction, energy generation, and cottage forest-based enterprises. About 61% of the tourism income is generated by forest-based national parks.
The FAO and UNEP Report (2020) shows that urban and peri-urban forests and trees help to mitigate many of the challenges of living in urban areas - they buffer noise; reduce urban heat, and provide green space for exercise, recreation, and recovery from stress. The same report presents economic opportunities through forest foods some of which are widely traded. For example, the global market for edible mushrooms, many of which are collected from forests, has a value estimated at USD 42 billion per year.
Despite the enormous benefits of trees and forests, the Annual Programme Performance Report (2022) by the Ministry of Water and Environment indicates a decrease in forest cover from 24.1% in 1990 to 13.3% in 2019.
According to the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the rising trend in zoonotic diseases is caused by, among others, increased degradation of natural ecosystems such as forests. Loss of forest habitats increases contact between humans and non-human primates and the transmission of diseases from animals to humans.
The decreasing forest cover is largely attributed to rising population pressure and urbanization, resulting in the expansion of agricultural land and settlement areas. However, confessions around the limited financial resources to implement and enforce policy actions, lack of more biting penalties for impunitive behavior, and lack of coordination still manifest.
Nonetheless, it is only fair to appreciate the substantial progress made in restoring the forest cover from 9.5% in 2015 to 13.3% by 2019. Concerted efforts of state and non-state actors to restore degraded areas through eviction of encroachers and targeted awareness campaigns can be hugely applauded as we celebrate this important day. The Government’s pledges through commitments such as the Bonn Challenge to restore 2.5 million hectares by 2030.
