Uganda needs 1 trillion to restore wetlands

Experts reveal that the government of Uganda would need up to shillings 1 trillion to plan, restore, and demarcate degraded wetlands in the next ten years. “We need about shs 1 trillion to achieve this. If we demarcate using pillars, we shall need shs 320,823,500,000 to demarcate 71,294km. If we use live markers, we shall need shs 99,811,600,000.

However, the government has demarcated 3,217.43 km using the available meagre resources in the last five years, the PS Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE), Dr Alfred Okidi, said.

“We also seek to increase the wetland area to about 10,000 km² from 6,669.16 Km² under management plans, and this would cost us up to UGX 75,000,000,000. A total of 1,284.90 Km² of the target 4,942.55 Km² wetlands have since been restored, and another UGX 741,315,500,000 to restore an additional 3000 km2 of wetlands over the next 10 years is urgently needed,” Okidi adds.

Demarcating 1km of wetland boundary with concrete pillars is estimated at 4.5 million Uganda shillings. Demarcation involves stakeholder engagement, boundary delineation, and boundary marking with pillars. Marking with live markers, however, is estimated to be about 1.4 million. Although the government is under an obligation to conserve wetlands due to the services and functions, they perform, in addition to implementing international instruments such as the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and Climate change protocols, it is not exclusive to the government to conserve wetlands.

 “The well-being of wetlands should be everyone’s concern. Whether you are a government official, a community member, or a development partner are like, you ought to pay attention to the unfolding events related to your environment, particularly the degradation of the fragile ecosystems, and make your contribution,” Okidi adds.  Okidi was reflecting on the financial needs of the ministry and existing opportunities for stakeholders to make contributions.

Many a time, the safety of the wetlands has been consigned to the government. Yet, our choices today determine whether future generations inherit landscapes of life or deserts of dust. This catastrophe is not just ecological.

It is economic and social as well. When wetlands disappear, floods become more severe, destroying homes and crops. Water quality declines, leading to disease outbreaks.

 Fisheries collapse, impoverishing families. Traditional livelihoods, such as papyrus harvesting and artisanal fishing, vanish without replacement, requiring the intensification of wetland restoration interventions to increase lake water levels, and increased political support towards wetland restoration activities is certainly a given.

This phenomenon happens across the globe, and Uganda is no exception.  According to Mr. David Okurut, the Commissioner in charge of wetland management at MWE, the wetland cover in Uganda is seriously dwindling.

“By 1994, wetlands covered 37,559.4 km2 (15.6 per cent) of Uganda’s surface area, and 31,412.7 km2, (13 per cent) in 2015. Implying that in 21 years (between 1994 and 2015), Uganda has lost 6,146.6 sq km of its surface area of wetlands, contributing to 1.6 per cent of Uganda’s surface area. This is attributed to increasing encroachment by small-scale and large-scale farmlands, built-up areas for settlement and in terms of factories, forcing the government to undertake remedial actions to salvage the ecosystem.

The actions include wetland restoration, demarcation, community engagement, awareness creation, and promotion of environmentally friendly technologies in the aftermath of the climate change impacts,” Okurut said.

Six years (between 2015 and 2021) of implementing interventions have since resulted in a 0.9 per cent (2,349.9 sq km) increase in the wetland cover. The shift, as per the 2021 wetland mapping, signifies an increase to 33,762.6 sq km (13.9 per cent), which has been possible due to deliberate actions the government has undertaken.

  “We have designated 12 Ramsar Sites, established a Wetland Management Department, developed a National Policy for the Conservation and Management of Wetland Resources, knowledge generation and awareness creation, ensured wetland boundaries are delineated and restored, cancellation of titles in wetlands, cancelled titles in wetlands and gazetting wetlands, and besides mobilizing resources,” he adds.

 In addition, government further implemented initiatives such as National Wetland Restoration Project, Strengthening the Adaptive Capacity and Resilience of Communities in Uganda’s Watersheds (SACRiAC) Project, Policy Dialogue and Knowledge Management on Emission Strategies Project (DIAPOL-CE) Project, Reducing Climate Change Vulnerability of Local Communities in Uganda through Ecosystems-Based Adaptation (EbA) in Wetland and Forest Ecosystems Project, Restoration of Wetlands and Associated Catchments Project (RWACP) in Eastern Uganda, and Building Resilient Communities, Wetland Ecosystems and Associated Catchments project in Uganda.  

Though a shift in the trend was noticeable in the 2021 wetland mapping, with intact wetland coverage rising to 9.3 per cent, indicating a 0.4 per cent increment with total coverage of 33,762.6 sq km (13.9%), this shift, however, does not correspond to the rate of degradation necessitating more government interventions.

Returning to the 1994 rates of 15.6 per cent would mean the government has to recoup the remaining percentage of the degraded wetlands. This, Okurut argues, will require development partners to open their doors more to support the government. Indeed, ensuring the safety of wetlands, therefore, requires resources which include: finances, technical skills, political support, and effective stakeholder engagement.

 The Ugandan government knows these too well. President Yoweri Museveni has become a household name in wetland conservation interventions. In most of his public appearances, the President cannot miss a mention of wetlands, signifying how much he cares about the fragile ecosystems.

Aside from making public statements, President Museveni is personally lobbying for grants to support the safety of wetlands. One such grant is from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and, Austrian Development Agency (ADA) fund.  GCF is funding the implementation of the Building Resilient Communities, Wetlands and Associated Catchments in Uganda project. The grant has since proved vital in the wetland management, whilst enhancing the resilience of Ugandan communities.

To facilitate government aspiration, Okurut, concurs with Okidi that grants would contribute to; supporting research and monitoring, empowering local communities to participate in wetland management, protecting wetlands from various threats, such as pollution, over-exploitation of resources, and habitat loss, through investments in infrastructure, community-based conservation efforts, public awareness campaigns and educational programs to raise awareness about the importance of wetlands whilst promoting responsible use. This is particularly true in the face of a government that has limited financial resources amidst competing needs.