Environmentalists have called upon the government to incorporate the Rights of Nature in the new proposed National Environment Bill/ Act reasoning that it is when the country’s nature/ environment will be protected from encroachments.
Rights of Nature are the holistic recognition that all life, all ecosystems on our planet are deeply intertwined.
Rather than treating nature as property under the law, Rights of nature acknowledges that nature in all its life forms has the right to exist, persist, maintain and regenerate its vital cycles.
The justification for Rights of Nature in the National Environment Act is based on the current development which has seen Uganda’s nature being destroyed at a high rate.
This has caused many social and economic challenges to Uganda as a country .
The Environmentalists reason that although Uganda has many Environment Acts / regulations, they have just fueled environmental destruction instead of protecting it.
The Coordinator Advocates for Natural Resources and Development (ANARDE), Frank Tumusiime made the call during a meeting with Members of Parliament from the Natural resources Committee.
“Because the laws focus on licensing people to utilize nature but does not allow nature to degenerate, the current legal framework has failed to regulate the environment,” said Tumusiime.
ANARDE is Non-Profit Organization that advocates for good environmental governance, corporate and government accountability among others.
Tumusiime said that giving nature legal rights means the Law can see nature as a legal person thus creating rights that can then be enforced.
He noted that some countries have enacted Rights of Nature and has helped them to protect the environment from destruction.
Uganda is not the only country advocating for the Rights of Nature, Countries like Argentina, Belize and Mexico have adopted the Rights of Nature in their national laws.
According to research, Uganda’s forest cover shrunk from 4.9 million hectares (24% total land area) in1990 to 1.8 million hectares (9% of total land area) in2015 and by 2055 Uganda will have no forest cover if the ongoing degradation goes undeterred.
The Vice Chairperson of the Natural Resources Committee Lawrence Songa, said the country need to strengthen the Environment related Acts that are already in place.
“We should stop treating nature as property. As Members of Parliament on the committee, we shall look into the demands and see if we can incorporate them in the Environmental Bill,” said Songa.
BY SAMUEL NABWIISO
