Government calls upon Ugandans to fight wetland degradation

The State Minister for Water and Environment, Beatrice Anywar, has called upon Ugandans to rally behind the course of ending wetland degradation in order to preserve Uganda’s ecosystem.

The minister said this at Uganda Media Center ahead of commemorating World Wetlands Day which is celebrated every 2nd of February to recognize the contributions of wetlands towards the maintenance of the ecosystem.

The minister stated that Uganda will join the rest of the world to commemorate this day in Soroti district under the theme “Wetland Restoration for People and Nature.”

“The theme is in line with the UN decade on ecosystem restoration and brings out the critical pathway for wetlands restoration with an emphasis on the linkages and interdependence of people on wetlands, highlighting also their significant contribution to their existence and the need to use them wisely,” she said.

Additionally, the minister noted that the day gives an opportunity to take stock of actions and commitment to undertake measures to reverse the impacts of negative actions on wetlands.

Anywar stressed that wetlands in Uganda registered a decline in coverage from 15.6% in 1994 to 13% in 2015.

“Only 8.9% of the 13% was intact and over 4.1% degraded. The government put in place several efforts to ensure that 4.1% is restored. I am happy that because of these vigorous efforts, we are beginning to see a positive trend with the intact wetland coverage now at 9.3%,” she said.

Additionally, the minister noted that through the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, wetlands will be gazetted this will address the question of the legal status of wetlands and also ensure compliance with the law, as far as their use and management is concerned.

According to the United Nations Development Program, In Uganda, wetlands continue to be degraded and the current area of wetlands across the country is below that recorded in the 1990s.

This website learnt that in the urban areas, there is indiscriminate encroachment for the expansion of human settlements while in the rural areas, there is a steady conversion of wetlands for agricultural use.