EnviroConserve Magazine, Aug - Oct, 2008

Losers and winners of climate change 6

Roofings’ one million tree project 34 Mr. S. Lalani, Chairman/MD Roofings Ltd

Vol. 7 No. 26

for our environment and sustainable development

Aug/Oct 2008

Ushs: 4500, Kshs: 250, TShs: 6000, Africa: USD15, Outside Africa: USD 30

MAU SHALL NOT DIE Kenya moves to save key ecosystem OIL PRODUCTION SITE IRKS CONSERVATIONISTS ...12

BIO LAW TO IMPROVE RESEARCH ...36

SAVING KENYA’S MANGROVES FOREST ...38 EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

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One of the Largest Steel Manufacturing Company in the Great Lakes Region.

Quality • Safety • Reliability

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At roofings we value sustainable development, hence the introduction of Eco-Tiles which reduces building and construction material costs on timber, wire mesh, foundation and labour.

Roofings is therefore proud to the global community in

Factory: commemoration of this year’s World Environment Day. P.O. Box 7169 Kampala - Uganda. Plot 126, Lubowa Est. Entebbe Rd. Phone: (256 - 414) 200 952, 2000 70 / 56 / 98.

Outlet 1: Plot 13/13A, Wilson Road. Phone: (256 - 414) 346 564, Fax: (256 - 41) 346 593.

(256 - 312) 340 100 Fax: (256 - 414) 200953 / 200 549 Outlet 2: Plot 3, Market Street Nakasero. Phone: (256 - 414) 232 274, Fax: (256 - 414) 232 278.

Email: roofings@roofings.co.ug Web: www.roofings.co.ug 2 EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

Contents

CONTENTS Losers and winners of climate change 6

Roofings’ one million tree project 34

COVER STORY

Mr. S. Lalani, Chairman/MD Roofings Ltd

Vol. 7 No. 26

for our environment and sustainable development

Regional Update 5 Hima Cement to plant one million trees

Aug/Oct_ 2008

Ushs 5000, Kshs.300, TShs. 6000, Others: USD15

6 Losers and Winners of climate change 7 Scientists challenged on GMOs 10 Kenya (CFSK) launches ambitious e-waste

MAU SHALL NOT DIE:

management project

Kenya moves to save key ecosystem OIL PRODUCTION SITE IRKS CONSERVATIONISTS ...12

BIO LAW TO IMPROVE RESEARCH ...36

SAVING KENYA’S MANGROVES FOREST ...38 EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

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Cover photo: Ewaso Nyiro River, one of the rivers drying up due to Mau Forest encroachments

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11 Tree planting days launched on Youth Day 12 Oil production site irks conservationists

Conservation

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16 Saving Mau forest 19 Black Rhinos return to Kenya World Population Day 27 Stoping Uganda’s population growth

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Energy Conservation 30 In search of clean source of power Climate Change 33 Ozone Day is marked

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Business & Environment 34 Roofings’ one million tree project Biotechnology 36 Bio law to improve research

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Eco-tourism 38 Saving Kenya’s mangroves forest

EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

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Editor’s Note

Group Publisher Robert Opio

Vol. 7 No. 26 Aug - Oct 08

Editor David Andrew Matende

Conservation efforts commendable

Staff Writer Ronald Musoke

E

ast African governments have woken up to the reality that important ecoysystems in the region must be conserved at whatever cost.

The Kenya government particularly must be commended for its efforts to conserve the Mau Forest Complex, notwithstanding the political and social consequences.

After years of encroachment, the government has put a stop to it by forming a high level task force to find ways of preventing further degradation of the marvelous ecosystem.

Correspondent Wamboga-Mugirya (Special Correspondent-Kampala) Contributors Obadiah Ayoti Wamaitha Omondi Wahinya Henry

Finally, the 400,000-hectare Mau Forest, which is one of the five major water towers in the country, would be demarcated and fenced.

Mau is an important water catchment for rivers such as Njoro and Makalia that drain in Lake Nakuru and Sondu, Yala, Nzoia and Nyando that flows into Lake Victoria. It is also the source of Ewaso Nyiro, Kerio and Mara rivers.

Sales & Marketing Manager Robert Oduori oduori@enviroconserve.org Advertising Executives Wafula Leonard Ernest Dola Jane B. Wegesa

Mau also supplies water to many of the lakes of the Rift Valley such as Lake Turkana bordering Ethiopia and Lake Natron in Tanzania which provides a regular breeding site for the more than two million flamingos found on the Rift Valley lakes of Eastern Africa.

The forest is the source of 12 rivers and a lifeline for millions of people. It must not be left to die.

In over 15 years, excisions and encroachments have destroyed a quarter of the Mau Complex. Past governments chopped off chunks to reward people for political support.

Kenya is feeling the economic and environmental impact of the continued degradation of the great ecosystem. Rivers flowing from Mau forest to wildlife sanctuaries like Lake Nakuru and the Mara-Serengeti triangle are drying up, putting the region’s multi-billion dollar tourism industry at risk.

Some rivers have dried while water levels in others have reduced, threatening livelihoods and sources of hydro-power. Apart from the energy and tourism sectors, agriculture which is Kenya’s backbone is also adversely affected since majority of the population is rural based and depends on rain-fed farming.

The Kenya government must be applauded for taking the decision, despite the political and social implications. In matters such as this, politics should be put aside.

Additionally Kenya is planning to set up a climate change office to address the disturbing issue of global warming. This is a step in the right direction.

EnviroConserve urges all countries in the region to emulate Kenya and step up conservation efforts not only for their own benefit but also for the benefit of the entire planet that faces the threat of global warming.

Design & Layout Vincent A. Ooko Send articles for publication to the publisher EnviroConserve AFRICA P.O. Box 8585, Kampala, Uganda Tel: 256-41-268616/268738, Tel/Fax:256-41- 268997 E-mail: info@enviroconserve.org enviroconserve@gmail.com, ico@africamail.com www.enviroconserve.org Nairobi Office: P.O. Box 18660- 00100 Nairobi Tel: 254-20-2076903/+254-20-3505603 Fax: 254-20-2211500 0734-262734/0725-319664

Disclaimer EnviroConserve AFRICA, encourages stakeholders to submit articles for publication. The publisher reserves the right to edit all non sponsored articles before publication. Neither the publisher nor any person acting on behalf of the publisher, may be held responsible for the use to which information (content) in this publication may be put. Non-commercial reproduction authorized subject to acknowledgement of source and must obtain written permission.

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EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

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Regional Update

Green Schools Project launched

In brief

Hima Cement hopes to plant one million trees

UGANDA

By By Ronald Musoke

P

upils of Jjanyi Church of Uganda Primary School in the central Uganda district of Wakiso were excited when the Hima Cement’s Green Schools Project was launched at their school.

The Green Schools Project whose aim is to inspire and involve school children in the respect and care for the environment mainly through afforestation activities, is essentially a partnership between Hima Cement and selected schools in which the company provides the school with Pupils of Jjanyi Church of Uganda Primary School sing as they tree seedlings. The schools then welcome Hima cement at their school during the launch of the plant and maintain the young trees on Green Schools Project (courtesy photo) the school land while Hima Cement Authority (NEMA)’s executive director, Dr provides the schools with incentives like water tanks, school desks and sanitation Ar yamanya Mugisha commended Hima Cement for their environmental corporate social blocks to look after and maintain the trees.

“The aim of Hima Cement’s Green Schools responsibility which is aimed at improving the Project is to inspire young people to respect and overall quality of the Ugandan environment.

“In today’s corporate world that’s driven care for the environment as it affects our day to day existence. As many of you are aware, the immensely by profit, Hima Cement must be world is facing great environmental challenges commended for their contribution to environmental and the onus is on us, today’s leaders, to protect quality,” Mugisha said.

He disclosed that NEMA is working closely and preserve the environment for our children and they too have a responsibility to preserve with the United Nations Education, Scientific the environment for future generations,” said and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Dr Martin Aliker, the Chairman Hima Cement Ministry of Education and Sports to establish a programme that will integrate environmental Board.

According to Dr Aliker, Hima Cement’s Green education across Uganda’s education system so Schools Project is firmly in line with the UN as to promote sustainable development.

Dr Mugisha said the integration of environmental Millennium Development Goals which seek to promote human development and environmental education into the main education system of sustainability. Hima Cement expects that the the country should be followed up by serious schools and the community will learn how to sensitization with regard to why the project is being sustain the environment through responsible done. “People should be made to understand that when trees are cut without replanting, this means harvesting of trees.

“Ultimately, we expect that this initiative will that there will be no more firewood at a particular trigger greater participation by government, point in time,” he said.

He said Hima Cement’s move to come up with donors and other corporate organizations in the Green Schools Project in the 18 schools should respect to environmental conservation and management and that the skill levels already be supported, adding that NEMA shall soon created will be an important foundation in help the company to identify the right species to empowering a generation that cares for the be planted in other schools that Hima will soon bring on board. He urged all the communities environment,” Aliker said.

He continued: “The Green Schools Project is a that surround most of these schools to support the step towards achieving these objectives and it is green schools project. The Hima Cement Green our hope that all stakeholders will move to give the Schools Project was started in 2007 and is now an ongoing project in which the company has so project all the support it needs to succeed.”

The National Environment Management far invested about UShs 340 million.

Nokia to Recycle Phones Nokia recently launched a take-back and recycling initiative aimed at protecting the environment. The initiative offers a structured way to dispose of old mobile phones by dropping them on special recycle bins at Nokia authorised care centres.

“We want to ensure that the environment in which we do our business is protected. That is why we are asking consumers who may not know how to dispose of their phones and accessories to bring them to our care centres for safe disposal or recycling,” Nicholas Maina, the Customer Care Manager for East Africa said at the launch of the initiative.

The company has set up collection points at authorised customer care centres to collect the mobile waste, which is then passed to selected companies for reclaiming. The move is aimed at ensuring proper end of life treatment of old phones. Maina said the voluntary initiative would give people an opportunity to start a revolution in taking care of the environment.

Green Crime Project Launched An environmental crime project that will also address climate change, energy and food security issues was recently launched in Entebbe, Uganda.East Africa is seeking a coordinated approach to curbing environmental crime as the region moves to stamp out illicit trade in animal trophies, forest and animal resources.

The 4 million Euros (about Ushs 10 billion) project also known as the environmental crime programme will run for the first three years under the auspices of the East African Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization. The Institute of Security Studies based in Nairobi will be the implementing agency.

The programme will focus on trans-border environmental crimes such as illegal logging, dumping, and transportation of hazardous waste as well as illegal trade in wildlife species and bush meat in the five East African

EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

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Regional Update

Losers and winners of climate change Uganda counted among the losers though contribution is small

In brief Co-operation (EAC) member states of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, as well as The Sudan and Seychelles.

It will also address a wide range of issues including, climate change, energy security, natural resource conflict, food security, pollution, gender related issues in environment and human security and sustainable livelihoods.

Uganda’s minister for Internal Affairs, Dr Ruhakana Rugunda told a stakeholder meeting that environmental crime now ranks second after drug trafficking among the trans-border crimes committed around the world.

The East African reported that estimates from the US Justice Department and that of international crime syndicates across the world gross between US$21b - US$31b annually from hazardous waste dumping, smuggling of illegal material and, exploiting and trafficking protected natural resources.

The project will provide training to police officers in the region on investigating and prosecuting environmental criminals ■

Washed away: A bridge in the Karamoja region that was washed away by floods in 2004 (file photo)

By Peter Wamboga-Mugirya

T

he new repor t by UK-based international charity, OXFAM G.B on the effects of climate change reveals that there are winners and losers; unfortunately Uganda is among the losers.

The report which was launched in Kampala on July 17, 2008 entitled: “Turning Up the Heat: Climate Change and Poverty in Uganda,” shows how some of the developed countries, the largest culprits at polluting the world, are ironically welcoming the climate change phenomenon.

“This is true to some extent for some farmers in some societies. For instance, Britain is hailing the resurrection of a native wine industry as temperatures rise.

In Nepal, farmers are growing bigger and tastier apples than ever before,” says the report published last June.

In the report and its accompanying video documentary, Oxfam presents the voices of rural and urban poor men and women who have suffered as a result of increasing

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EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

droughts, floods, epidemics and food insecurity caused by climate change.

It particularly notes that people in Uganda, whose contribution to global warming has been miniscule, are feeling the impacts of climate change first and worst, adding that what is being experienced in Britain and Nepal, is not the case in Uganda.

“Yofesi Baluku, Executive Director of Karughe Farmers Partnership in Kasese district, western Uganda, on the foothills of Mount Rwenzori says local varieties have disappeared due to changes in climate,” the report further says, adding: “Because of the short rains, we plant crops that mature fast. That is why some pumpkin and cassava varieties that need a lot of rain have disappeared.”

Oxfam quotes Florence Mbejuna, a farmer in the western Uganda district of Bundibugyo concurring with Yofesi Baluku. She says: “Cassava no longer yields anything yet the beans have also failed.”

Continued on pg 22

NBI in Public Opinion Survey A major public opinion survey expected to yield an objective feedback from a diversity of opinion leaders about the 10-year-old Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), is underway in all the nine countries.

EnviroConserve AFRICA can reveal that the survey, which started in July, is being conducted by a team of independent researchers commissioned

by NBI, in collaboration with the World Bank and governments of NBI member-states.

The survey is planned to offer qualitative assessment of views of opinion leaders in all the riparian states, according to selected opinion leaders identified by the Ugandan Minister of Water and Environment also current chairperson of the Nile Council of Ministers, Mrs. Maria Mutagamba.

The survey—regarded as extremely important by the nine governments—comes at a time when NBI begins to contemplate how it can achieve meaningful results from its shared vision, heavilyfunded programmes and projects and about its future.

On the other hand, the Nile as a shared resource is under intense pressure from a rapidly exploding population, adverse effects of climate change and encroachments in the riparian states of Burundi, DR Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia and Kenya. Others are Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda ■

Regional Update

Scientists challenged on GMOs

By Peter Wamboga-Mugirya

S

cientists have to take a lead in consuming genetically-modified (GM) crops, to convince the public that such food contains no harm as believed. The Minister for Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), Eng. Hillary Onek issued the challenge at the National Agricultural Research Laboratories Institute (NARLI) at Kawanda, where GM banana plantlets are growing in a greenhouse and in confined field trials strictly under research. “You have to lead by example and consume these crops when they mature and bear fruits, so that the rest of us can have confidence.

When you do this, you will have totally dispelled fears and doomsday speculators, who claim GM foods are harmful,” Onek said shortly after he officially commissioned the UShs 800m state-of-the-art Biosafety Level II Greenhouse at the NARLI.

It is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project (ABSP II) which is managed by the US-based Cornell University [College of Agriculture and Life Sciences].

Dr Andrew Kiggundu, one of the leading molecular scientists heading the National Agricultural Biotechnology Centre (NABC), and Dr Tilahun Zeweldu [East African Regional Advisor to ABSP II) told the guests who included NARO Director-General Dr Denis Kyetere, that during research work, scientists ensure there is no toxicity or harmful matter in the genes they insert during genetic engineering. “After we have engineered a plant, we continuously carry out tests on it as it grows, to gauge toxicity levels that are tolerable for human consumption when it finally yields fruits,” Kiggundu said pointing at the healthylooking plants.

“This particular GM banana (gros michel or bogoya),” he added, “has been inserted with a gene-enzyme from rice called chitinase. We are evaluating it here and in the CFT against its resistance to black sigatoka disease.”

The Minister, however hailed Dr Andrew Kiggundu and his colleagues (among them Dr. Geoffrey Arinaitwe, Dr Josephine Namaganda, Dr. Leena Tripathi and Dr Wilberforce Tushemereirwe) for the impressive research work on the banana using biotechnology and conventional means to fight the crop’s destructive pests and diseases.

Uganda produces 15 per cent of the world’s bananas/plantains and 7million Ugandans consider banana a staple crop, including 65 per cent of the urban population. 75 per cent of Ugandan farmers grow the crop on 1.3 million hectares

Rural Electrification Agency Promotes Environmentally Friendly Electrification The Rural Electrification Agency started its operations in 2003 having been established by Statutory Instrument No. 75 of 2001.

Vision: REA’s vision is “Universal access to electricity by 2035” Mission: REA’s mission is “To facilitate the provision of electricity for social – economic rural transformation in an equitable and sustainable manner”.

Goal: Our medium term goal is to achieve 10% rural electrification by 2012.

Objectives The main objectives of REA include among others: • To facilitate and manage the realization of at 10% rural electrification by 2012.

• Undertake the basic planning and preparation of projects determined by the Board as eligible for support under the Rural Electrification Fund (REF).

• Generate and provide information relating to investment opportunities, costs and benefits of renewable energy and rural electrification projects and avail technical and financial support programmes to all stakeholders.

• Undertake government priority rural electrification projects.

• Prepare annual status reports on the rural electrification programme indicating progress and identifying obstacles as well as options for mitigating those obstacles.

Environmental Management The Rural Electrification Agency has developed an Environment and Social Management Framework (ESMF) field manual that provides the necessary direction for addressing environmental requirements to all stakeholders involved in any project. All projects must comply with environmental and social policies of the Government of Uganda and/or the donor agencies.

The projects undergo an environmental impact assessment in accordance with the requirements of National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).

With the ESMF, REA has a monitoring process to observe and check the progress, quality and/or performance against given impact.

Aware of the causes of global warming and climate change, the Rural Electrification Agency advances the following renewable energy technologies that have much lower environmental impact than the conventional energy technologies. These are:1) Hydropower 2) Biomass 3) Solar energy 4) Biofuels 5) Geothermal

Plot 1 Pilkington Road, 10th floor, Workers House. P.O. Box 7317 Kampala, Uganda. Tel: 256-312-264095, Fax: 256-41-346013, E-mail: rea@rea.or.og, Website: www.rea.or.ug

EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

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Ministry of Edu

Environmental Education and Awareness Background:

In 1987, the Ministry of Education, appointed a review commission to inquire into the policies governing education in Uganda. One of the major problems confronting Uganda’s education system was the curricula not catering for the social and economic needs of the country.

The Government’s response to the Review Commission, in its white paper, contained the broad aims of the new policy on education among which was the need to, “eradicate illiteracy and to equip the individual with basic skills and knowledge to exploit the environment for self development as well as natural development for better health, nutrition and family life and capability for continued learning.”

The Ministry of Education and Sports is the lead agency for Environmental Education and Awareness in schools in Uganda according to the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) statute (1995). In this responsibility, it is supposed to integrate environment issues and concerns in the education system which includes curricula review at all the education levels.

All curricula and the subjects taught in schools have a direct linkage to the environment but the way in which the teachers handle the teaching does not relate the students to understand the concept of the Environment. All science subjects are based on the scientific explanations of the earth systems but the teaching in schools is just too theoretical that of the relationship between education and the environment is not brought out very clearly.

Environment Issues in Education Sector

The education sector is among the largest sectors in the country with a variety of environmental problems mostly associated with schools.

The sector is rapidly expanding without considering the quality of environment around them and the future

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EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

problems associated. The population of students has increased inspite of limited facilities available. This has created a number of environmental problems such as: • Poor disposal of solid and liquid waste; • Poor chemical disposal especially from the laboratories, • Deterioration of sanitation and hygiene because of overcrowding in limited space.

• Emergency diseases associated with bad environment.

• Indoor Air Pollution (IAP) as a result of using fuel wood for cooking, • Collapsing of buildings causing death to the children due to poor construction works.

• Climate change because of excessive dependence or use of fuel wood, emission of gasses from laboratories i.e CFC, burning of polythen papers etc.

All these problems could be overcome if there is a proper environmental awareness among the education providers and the students.

National Environment Problems

The current environment problems in the country are partly due to lack of proper environmental education and awareness programmes in schools.

Schools provide a basis for people to acquire skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary to make independent decisions on matters concerning environment. The rampant environment destruction i.e. soil degradation, loss of biological diversity, deforestation, bad farming practices, draining of swamps, poor hygiene in communities is a clear indication of lack of environmental education awareness programmes in school. If the current young generation is given sound environmental education, the future will be different.

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Environment Laws and Regulations

Uganda has a number of bilateral agreements and national laws to regulate the use of the environment resourses but few of these are known to the public.

Many people have fallen victim to the regulations especially evicting them from gazetted areas like wetlands, national parks, forests because of lack of clear understanding why they should not be in those places. A sound education system enable the people to acquire a clear understanding of the government laws and regulation partaining to environment protection and also perticipate in enforcing them.

Mainstreaming Environmental Issues in Education sector

The Ministry of Education and Sports is in the process of mainstreaming environment issues in the education sub sectors i.e. departments institutions

ucation and Sports

s (EEA) in the Education Sector autonomous bodies. This will help the Ministry to monitor the environment issues in a wider perspective than the current situation. It will involve developing policies in relation to environment problems the sector faces The Ministry of Education and Sports is collaborating with various NGOs and Government Organizations in handling Environmental Education (EE) in schools. The mainstreaming of EE in the Education sector will help to strengthen this relationship. The intervention must involve registering the organizations and knowing what they are doing in schools. Some of these programmes shall be replicated in other schools in the country if they are to contribute to national development.

Environmental Education

Goals of Environment education

• To foster clear awareness of, and concern about economic, social, political and ecological interdependence in urban and rural areas.

• To provide every person with opportunities to acquire the knowledge, values, attitudes, commitment and skills needed to protect and improve the environment.

• To create new patterns of behaviour of individuals, groups and society as a whole towards the environment.

Environmental Education’s main objective is to produce people who are sensitive, practical and who are prepared to act for the environment. People should be provided with appropriate knowledge and skills which will enable them appreciate, value and sustainably manage their environment.

Although environmental education is a relatively recent area of training, various aspects of environmental education have always been covered in many formal and non-formal training programmes for a long time.

Early environmental education training programmes involved people teaching their youth how to interact with the environment.

The programmes were preserved and passed on through folklore and oral literature. The need largely arose from the generally hostile environment within which people had to subsist in early days.

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Objectives

The key objectives of EE are therefore to: •

Environmental Education is the process of learning and teaching knowledge and skills which enable us to understand and appreciate our surroundings and the interrelationship between us, culture and resources.

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Create awareness; to enable social groups and individuals acquire an awareness and sensitivity to the total environment and its allied problems.

Impart knowledge; to enable social groups and individuals gain a variety of experiences in, and acquire a basic understanding of the environment and its associated problems.

Acquire attitudes; to enable social groups and individuals acquire a set of values and feelings of concern for the environment and motivation for actively participating in environmental improvement and protection.

Impart skills; to enable social groups and individuals acquire the skills for identifying and solving environmental problems.

Participation; to enable social groups and individuals with an opportunity to be actively involved at all levels in working towards resolution of environmental problems.

Guiding Principles of EEA •

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Be a continuous lifelong process, beginning at the pre-school level and continuing through all formal and non-formal levels.

Be inter-disciplinary in its approach, drawing on the specific content of each discipline in making possible a holistic and balanced perspective.

Examine the major environmental issues local, national, regional and international points of view so that students receive insight into environmental conditions in other geographical areas.

Focus on current and potential environmental situations, while taking into account the historical perspective.

Promote the values of local, national and international co-operation in the prevention and solution of environmental problems.

Explicitly consider environmental aspects for development and growth.

Enable the learners to have a role in planning their learning experience and provide an opportunity for making decisions and accepting their consequences.

Relate environmental sensitivity, knowledge, problem-solving skills and value clarification to every age, but with special emphasis on environmental sensitivity to the learner’s own community in formative years.

Help the learner discover the symptoms and real causes of environmental problems.

Emphasize complexity of environmental problems and thus the need to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Utilize diverse learning environment and broad learning about, and from the environment activities and firsthand experience.

Consider the environment in its totalitynatural and built, technological and social (economic, political, culturalhistorical, moral, and aesthetic).

For more information contact: The Coordinator EEA, Ministry of Eduacation and Sports P.O Box 7063 Kampala Uganda, Tel: 0414 257038 EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

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Regional Update

Kenya starts e-waste management project

By Obadiah Ayoti

C

omputer for Schools Kenya (CFSK) has launched an ambitious e-waste management project as part of its environmental conservation efforts.

The plant which was set up at a cost of KSh3.8 million was unveiled recently by the Ministry of Information and Communications’ Permanent Secretary, Dr. Bitange Ndemo to provide an opportunity for corporate organizations to dispose their electronic waste in an environmentally friendly manner.

The project situated at Nairobi’s Embakasi area was funded by Kenya Airways, Safaricom Foundation, Unilever, Computer Aid International, Barclays Bank , IDRC and the Government of Canada. CFSK Executive Director Tom Musili told EnviroConserve that there was need for the government to establish an e-waste policy in order to protect the environment.

“It is a shame that a country such as Kenya which is a signatory to a plethora of international conventions on environment doesn’t have an electronic waste policy. There are no strategies to guide us in handling waste management of this nature.

We are forced to use our initiatives and borrow examples from other countries,” says Musili.

Despite collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation with the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), the Executive Director faults the organizations’ commitment towards e-waste management.

In NEMA’s waste management regulations of 2006 meant to protect the environment and the

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public against pollution from waste, little is mentioned about e-waste. The subsidiary legislation under Environmental Management and Coordination Act (EMCA) puts more emphasis on solid waste management to which even it falls short on implementationCFSK which is a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) and provides computers to learning institutions free of charge launched the programme to ensure the computers are not dumped in a manner that can harm human beings or the environment. With the technology storm, the tonnes of e-waste generated from industries, organizations and homes pose a great danger to the biodiversity.

Additionally, the ongoing laying of fibre optic cable in Kenya is set to drastically reduce the cost communication for majority of people to afford. This calls for initiatives such as the CFSK to mitigate electronic waste which is more dangerous than solid waste as it causes chronic diseases such as cancer.

Although CFSK has been recycling old computers since its inception in 2002, their facilities were overwhelmed after corporate organizations embraced their ‘No Dumping’ policy and started giving them electronic waste for proper disposal.

Currently, Barclays Bank, Joint Voluntary Agency (JVA), KPMG, Dell of South Africa are some of the organizations sending their old computers, mobile phones, televisions, radios, printers, faxes, photocopiers and other types of e-waste to CFSK for recycling.

In a classic example of turning waste to wealth, the computers are dismantled into metals, wires, plastic, aluminium, copper, monitors and electronic boards which are then sold separately to fetch funds to cater for the organization’s operation cost.

“We sell metals, aluminium and wires to Nairobi Metal Dealers. For those parts such as electronic boards which cannot

EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

CFSK technician Boniface Asuva (r) takes through Susan Akwesi, Kenya Airways Regional Cargo Sales Manager for West, Central and North Africa the process of converting old computer monitors into television sets.

be recycled in Kenya, we have a take-back policy with one of our donors, Digital Links in the United Kingdom where we send them back for recycling,” said Musili.

In another venture where the organization literally turns waste into gold, it converts the monitors into television sets by replacing its boards with those of televisions. The television sets are then sold at a cost ranging from Ksh 4, 000 to Ksh7, 000 depending on the size.

CFSK receives computers from Christian Hunger Relief, Computer Aid International, Siso, Afritec and Partners Worldwide. The computers must meet certain standards set by CFSK to ensure that developed countries do not use Kenya as a dumpsite.

CFSK plans to mobilize resources to purchase recycling equipment so that they do not export some equipment for recycling abroad

Regional Update

Tree planting campaign kicks off National exercise launched on Youth Day

H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni (file photo)

By Ronald Musoke

T

he long-awaited nationwide tree planting campaign was finally launched on August 12, during the International Youth Day celebrations at Karwondo village in Rwanyamahembe Sub County in Mbarara District under the auspices of the Ministry of Water and Environment.

International Youth Day, alongside International Women’s Day (March 8), World Forestry Day (March 21), International Labour Day (May 1) will henceforth become official tree planting days. On each of these days, the youth, women, workers and other stakeholders will respectively be required to plant as many trees as they can through several government and private initiatives.

A total of 35,300 tree seedlings were distributed by the ministry. In Mbarara District alone, 4000 tree seedlings were planted. The trees that comprised pines, eucalyptus and fruit trees were freely given out to residents of the sub county.

The districts of Gulu, Lira, Soroti and Kitgum were each given a consignment of 8000 tree seedlings so they could utilize the good rains they are currently enjoying.

Bushenyi and Kabale will also be receiving their tree seedlings shortly.

According to the Environment state minister Jessica Eriyo, the government chose this day to start a nationwide tree planting campaign to curtail the rampaging desert conditions that are said to be heading southwards.

“ The issue of planting trees is very important and it rhymes well with today’s theme since 20 per cent of global warming is contributed to by deforestation and wetland loss.” Ms Eriyo said.

Researchers on climate change have claimed that due to the poor adaptability levels among the poor people and countries, the poor will suffer more. In recent years, climate change has increased storms, floods, soil erosion, extinction of plants and animals, water stress and tropical diseases around the world.

“As for our country [Uganda], we should concentrate on mitigation efforts such as control of greenhouse gases, floods, soil erosion and siltation of water bodies.

Planting trees is the most important way we can do to mitigate climate change,” she said.

The day’s theme, “Youth and Climate Change: Time for Action,” was chosen to enable the youth and indeed Ugandans in general to take stock of what they have done to green the environment and control the use of ‘buveera’ (polythene bags). “ T h e u n f o rg e t t a b l e m e s s a g e i s , ‘greening the environment is everybody’s responsibility.’ We need to do everything humanily possible to keep Uganda the Pearl of Africa,” Mr. Mondo Kyateeka, the Assistant Commissioner, Youth and Children Affairs said.

He said Uganda’s youth (young people between 18-30 years) constitute six million while those below 18 years are 16 million, making a total of 22m young Ugandans.

UNFPA says there are more than 1.5b people between the age of 10 and 25 around the world. “This largest ever generation of adolescents is approaching adulthood in a world their elders could not have imagined,” UNFPA says.

“Climate change asks tough questions when it links the present generation actions to those that will come after. Most times when we talk about environment, some people think we are talking about theories but you can see what the vagaries of

weather have done to us,” Mondo said.

Saida Namirembe Bumba, the Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development added that this year’s International Youth Day theme was timely and its emphasis has been long overdue.

“There is need to institute a culture of valuing our environment,” she said.

The guest of honour, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni while presiding over the International Youth Day celebrations said there have been two major causes of global warming and climate change.

The president named agents of climate change as the rich industrialised nations of Europe, North America, as well as China and to some extent India which release millions of tonnes of greenhouse gases to the Earth’s atmosphere every year, and pollution brought about by poverty in the third world countries.

“When the poor use firewood, instead of electricity, engage in traditional agriculture, they are engaging in environmental degradation,” Museveni said.

Museveni said the solutions to climate change lie in engaging the industrialised nations such as USA to ratify the Kyoto Protocol and most importantly bringing development to the third world, especially Africa. “That’s why the NRM government is busy building dams so that we can make use of electricity. This will preserve our trees,” he said in his address of the youth who listened attentively.

He added that government is working on another programme which involves the transformation of agriculture in the country through the Plan for Modernization of Agriculture (PMA) and the National Agriculture Advisory Services (NAADS) programmes.

“These programmes will not only conserve the environment but also improve our incomes through improved agriculture production techniques,” Museveni said.

The president reiterated his ‘prosperity for all’ message, adding that soon the NAADS programme will look out for six model families in each of the 5000 parishes around the country from whom the other families will learn about better farming techniques. He said if this programme is well adopted, an average Ugandan family would make about Ushs 20m every year EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

11

Oil production site irks conservationists

Hon Maria Mutagamba (with head gear) the minister of water and environment was part of the field trip that Tullow Oil organised for participants of the EPS public hearing (courtesy photo)

Discontent over Tullow Oil’s location of Early Production Scheme site

By Ronald Musoke

L

eading conservationists in the country recently expressed outrage at Tullow Oil’s request to have the Early Production Scheme established in an area that is gazetted as a wildlife reserve.

This was during the recent National Environment Management Authority (NEMA)’s public hearing of Tullow Oil’s Environment Impact Assessment for the proposed Early Production Scheme (EPS) in Block 2’s Kaiso Tonya region situated in the western Uganda district of Hoima.

NEMA as well as the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development alongside other stakeholders called for the public hearing on July 29 at Hoima’s Hotel Riviera.

Public hearings are carried out in accordance with Section 22 of the e nv i ro n m e n t a l i m p a c t a s s e s s m e n t

12

EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

regulations within the 1998 Environment Act. The developer is required to conduct an environmental impact assessment before their project can be approved by NEMA. According to NEMA’s executive director, Dr Henry Aryamanya Mugisha, public hearings are conducted to seek additional information which may be lacking in the developer’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) so that relevant action may be taken.

The study that started in September last year and submitted in March this year was conducted by two EIA consultant firms, Environmental Resources Management (ERM)-a South African based firm and EACL of Uganda. The need for an early production scheme has been precipitated by the urgent need for electricity, kerosene, and diesel in the country, and if all goes

well, the government is targeting between 85-100 megawatts of electricity to be produced using heavy fuel oil (HFO) that will be got when about 4000-5000 barrels of oil are produced on a daily basis, starting next year. “The early production scheme will see the establishment of a mini refinery on a clearing the size of 15 standard football grounds near the Kaiso Tonya Community Wildlife Area.

It will have a topping unit where oil will be separated from sand and water,” said Stuart Herbert, ERM’s representative and presenter of the EIS. Herbert said the EIS recognizes that Kaiso Tonya is an ecologically fragile area with many on going activities that might or will be interfered with. He cited fishing in the nearby Lake Albert, livestock farming and fresh water in the valleys and 

Regional Update

underground, rivers, and the lake as well as wood harvesting as some of the activities that will be affected once production starts next year. “Within the Lake Albert Graben, the Semliki River, the Ramsar Wetland near Lake George as well as eco- tourism at the Lake Albert Safari Lodge where some of the local people have jobs are ecologically important,” he said. In his presentation, Herbert noted that the EIA consultants chose Site 1C which is within a wildlife reserve as opposed to Site 5C (area atop the escarpment) due to ‘prevailing constraints on the ground.’

Local Concerns

During the consultations with the local communities, the local people were more concerned about whether there would be disruptions in their livelihoods when the scheme begun. According to ERM, the locals wanted to know whether their water sources will remain safe as far as quality and quantity is concerned. The locals also wondered whether one of their major activities-fishing-would go on without any underground contamination into the rivers and ultimately into the lake.

On biodiversity concerns, Tullow Oil’s EIS noted that during construction of the EPS, ‘some animals may move away from noise and other related activities and that some plants will need to be removed.’ The EIS noted that minimal harm will be ensured so that the area to be negatively affected will be as small as possible. Tullow’s EIS report added that after the construction of the EPS, the areas surrounding the establishment will be restored to their original state. The company pledged to work closely with the Uganda Wildlife Authority and other groups.

On air quality and waste management in the area, Herbert said Tullow Oil had designed the EPS to international standards and that they will continue to monitor the quality of the air in the area. The company’s report said they are working with a reputable company to manage its waste that will be generated at the site.

Responses to Tullow’s EIS

However, there were many concerns about the EIS with many respondents saying the report left a lot to be desired. Mr. Sam Mwanda, representing UWA’s executive director said UWA had serious concerns about the report. “There are big gaps in the report with

regard to the waste management plan and environment management plan preparations,” Mwanda said, adding that the report hardly has any specific recommendations for the environmental challenges ahead.

“The lifespan of an EPS is estimated at 15-20 years but tourism has the potential to continue for hundreds of years. There is need therefore for the developer to enter into a compensation agreement with UWA and other stakeholders to compensate them for the lost income and be able to support conservation in the area,” Mwanda said.

UWA further noted that there is a huge potential for pollution yet the EIS does not put particular emphasis on this challenge.

The wildlife conservation body also noted that monitoring and compliance should be a big issue, yet Tullow and NEMA have been short on the monitoring during the exploration stage. UWA also pointed out the potential risk of pollution of the water sources such as the River Howa valley/ water for the wildlife especially during the dry season. According to UWA, this river also drains into Lake Albert and therefore this development will have a bearing on the water resource for fishing and domestic use by the fishing community as well as affecting the water cycle in the area.

UWA recommended the establishment of a conservation fund to ensure sustainability of the conservation activities in areas where oil exploration and development is taking place. “Specifically, the funds should be used to supplement the dropped revenue from tourism as a result of oil development, create corridors for animal movement through direct land purchase, create buffer zones as dispersal areas for wildlife in light of the oil development activities,” noted UWA. John Ken Lukyamuzi, a renowned environmentalist and also the president of the Conservative Party noted that as far as he had listened (to EIS presentation), the key issues in the report seemed to be ‘promissory’ and he wondered what guarantee Ugandans have that Tullow will fulfill the promises they were making. On biodiversity in the area proposed for the EPS, he said Uganda and Namibia are among the richest countries in biodiversity related to birds. “Around Lake Albert, over 400 bird species have been spotted and in Kabwoya Wildlife Reserve, over 460 species live there, Tullow Oil intends to construct the oil refinery. The refinery site must change,” he said

TANZANIA Building of phone masts suspended Tanzania’s National Environment Management Council (NEMC) has called for suspension of ongoing construction of telecommunication towers which lack in-depth research on health risks they pose to people and the environment. The mobile phone companies should also draw defensive mechanisms in case of accidents as the law requires.

Speaking during a press conference in Dar es Salaam on August 18, NEMC Director General Bonaventure Baya said the mushrooming of the towers in the country, has sparked fears and complaints over dangerous effects to both humans and the environment.

The council has urged mobile phone companies to conduct research on effects of telecommunication towers before they erect them in residential areas. Mr. Baya said telecommunication companies have to involve people and local government authorities in the ordered research on the towers and findings be forwarded to NEMC in order to clear people’s doubts.

Mr. Baya added that since December 2007 to date, NEMC had received several complaints from Tabata Kimanga on Tigo towers, Msasani against Excellent Communications, Kimara Baruti against Celtel (now Zain), Kimara against Vodacom, Kijitonyama against Tigo and Magomeni against Celtel. This comes amid complaints from the public living near phone towers that they are dangerous as they produce radio active rays which can cause serious diseases like cancer, and noise they produce as a result of their generators operating for 24 hours.

“The complaints are results of unplanned erection of phone towers which has become a source of disturbance and rising fears by people,” said Mr. Baya, calling on the phone companies to adhere to laws of the land. The council has since suspended construction of a tower at Msasani Peninsula in the city by Excellent Com to pave way for investigations on the legality of the company to construct a tower there, added Mr. Baya ■

EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

13

DIRECTORATE OF

Population and “Population

reviews show that the population is growing at a rate of 3.4% per year” ����������������������������������

BACKGROUND:

goals, relevant to the needs, rights

The Directorate of Education Standards

DES MISSION

(DES) formerly known as Education

To provide a rational system of setting,

Standards

defining

Agency

(ESA)

was

and

reviewing

standards

established in July 2001.Its mandate

and quality of education and sports

is to maintain qualitative academic and

and to monitor the achievement of

disciplinary standards in the education

such standards and quality to ensure

sector and institutions of Uganda. This

continually improved education and

mandate emanated from the Education

sports in Uganda.

Act, followed by the Cabinet’s decision

DES MANDATE

of Education and Sports to set up a

The Directorate of Education Standards

separate (semi-autonomous) body to

(DES)

replace the Education Inspectorate.

maintenance of qualitative academic

mandated

community and society at large.

To address quality education holistically in terms of provision, implementation and continuous improvement requires consideration of the following: inputs, processes, outputs and outcomes.

on Divesture that authorized the Minister

is

and expectations of its learners, the

to

•

the education system.

ensure

include buildings,

and disciplinary sports standards in Since

its

establishment,

DES

has

operated guided by the recommendations

and promotes the full development of

Ministry of Public Service (March 2001).

the learners in terms of knowledge,

The ESA report was approved by top

values, skills and attitudes. A quality

management of the Ministry of Education

education is widely accepted as one

and Sports while the Executive Agency

that is accessible to all, efficient in its

Implementation

(Policy

use of available resources, effective in

Guidelines and Implementation Strategy)

meeting locally and nationally agreed

Programme

was approved by Cabinet.

14

EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

teachers,

instructional

materials

inadequate, the quality of education

of the ESA Report of June 2000 and the Strategy document provided by the

These

learners,

inputs is defective, appropriate or

Uganda.

Quality education enhances the potential

the

and the curriculum. If any of these

the education sector and institutions of

Policy Guidelines and Implementation

Inputs or resources applied to

will be affected.

•

The processes refer mainly to the teaching/learning,

management

and governance. These processes will influence the learner/teacher interaction, the learning environment, utilization of the learning materials, motivation and competency of the teachers and the creation of school

EDUCATION STANDARDS

Quality Education

�����������������������������������������������������

����������������������������������������������������������������������� �������������������������

•

ethos and culture.

population reviews show that the

primary and secondary in each

Outputs refer to the immediate

population is growing at a rate of 3.4%

stream.

results of the education processes.

per year. If such population growth is

They can be measured in terms

not balanced with economic and social

of

development, the quality of education

examination

results

and

music, dance, drama and sports

Inadequate teachers and lack of accommodation in most schools

•

provided will be negatively affected.

Inadequate supervision by school administrators and inspectors.

achievement.

•

•

•

Inadequate

and

inappropriate

Outcomes of the education system

When

refer to the longer term benefits to

Universal Primary Education (UPE) in

sanitation facilities), instructional

the learner and the community. They

1997, the primary school enrolment

materials and other facilities.

are reflected in the performance

increased from 2.4 million in 1996 to

and advancements in employment,

about 7 million.

health, environment, social justice,

However, other inputs like infrastructure,

economic

the instructional materials and teacher

WAY FORWARD

recruitment did not grow over night to

All

the same extent although they have

government, parents, local leaders,

Achievement of quality education is

increased over the years. This affected

District

affected by a number of factors including

and to some extent still affects the

proprietors, administrators, teachers,

demography,

quality of education provision.

learners

development

and

democratic systems in society.

economy,

political

environment and social development.

government

launched

the

CHALLENGES TO QUALITY EDUCATION

more than one million children were

•

less than one year old.

Subsequent

•

(classrooms,

Lack of mid-day meals for learners and teachers.

and population census revealed that

For example the 2002 national housing

infrastructure

Class size is too large ranging

stakeholders

including

Education and

society

the

Departments, in

general

should make their due contributions to ensure quality education. there is also urgent need for family planning programmes.

from 60 learners and above in both

���������������������������������� ��������� ����������� �� ���������� ��������� ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

15

Cover story

Ewaso Nyiro River, one of the rivers drying up due to Mau Forest encroachments

Saving Mau Forest

Alarmed at the rate of destruction of one of its most important ecosystems, the Kenya government has taken urgent steps to stop further destruction of Mau forest

By Obadiah Ayoti and David Matende

A

fter years of continued destruction of its unique forests, Kenya is now feeling the pinch. Rainfall has become unpredictable, leading to reduced water in the country’s main rivers and lakes. Scarcity of water in the urban centres has become the order of the day.

Agriculture has been adversely affected, increasing food insecurity. The country’s sources of hydro-power have been depleted, occasioning a massive increase in the cost of electricity. There is increased humanwildlife conflict as the animals find themselves squeezed out of their natural habitat. Alarmed at this development, Kenya’s leadership has decided to do something.

Recently, the government demonstrated its commitment to conserve its forests by forming a task force to explore ways of preventing further degradation of one of the country’s (and the world’s) great ecosystems — the Mau forest complex.

16

EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

The task force inaugurated recently by the Prime Minister, Raila Odinga would demarcate and fence off the 400,000-hectare Mau complex which is one of the five major water towers in the country.

The Mau has been a victim of destruction for many years, with past governments allocating huge chunks of forest land to neighbouring communities, mainly to buy their political support.

The Mau ranges form one side of nature’s architectural marvel, the Great Rift Valley.

It is on these ranges that the Mau Forest nests, cuddled by a rare mix of animals, birds and flora to constitute one of the largest water towers in the country.

The forest nestles in a complex ecosystem that is the source of at least 12 rivers, which drain in either direction — westwards towards Lake Victoria and eastwards to Nakuru through Mau Narok, Lake Nakuru and the Mara-Serengeti tourism circuits.

The Mau complex is Kenya’s biggest forest block and East Africa’s largest block of closed

canopy indigenous forest.

Viewed from the air, it resembles a lush, green carpet, with some brown patches where illegal logging and charcoal burning takes place, deep in the forest, away from the prying eyes of forest guards and conservationists.

More than 45 bird species and 2,000 families live here. The latter, including logging and charcoal burning, has put to risk an asset base worth more than $300 million (more than Sh20 billion).

That is if the current rate of forest destruction goes on. Tea bushes, tourism and the water catchment are in acute danger.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, Mau is an asset of national importance that supports crucial sectors such as energy, tourism, agriculture and water supply. It is also the single most important water catchment area in the Rift Valley and Western Kenya.

“For the past few years UNEP has been documenting for the Kenyan Government and



the people of Kenya the continued destruction and erosion of this vital ecosystem. It has reached a point where if no measures are taken, Kenya will lose one of its fundamental assets,” warned Achim Steiner, UN UnderSecretary-General and UNEP Executive Director.

Estimates indicate that up to a quarter of the complex has been destroyed through encroachment, excisions, illegal logging and other human activities.

Since some rivers drain into the Lake Victoria, there is likely to be implications beyond Kenya’s borders all the way into the River Nile basin if they dry up.

Domestic water supply will also be severely aggravated, spelling doom for thousands of people who depend on it.

The largest inhabitants of the forest are the Ogiek or Dorobo, who have traditionally been hunter-gatherers and keepers of bees. The activities are now unregulated, thereby directly contradicting forestry and conservation policies.

Some individuals were awarded huge chunks of land as the forest was excised and cleared to pave way for human settlement.

Pressure from settling human population added to the problem. Lots of tea was planted, to extend the area under this crop beyond traditional locations such as Molo South, Olenguruone, Chepakundi, Temuyotta, Kenjoketty, Kiptagich and Nyota.

There are five main forest reserves: Eastern, Western and South-western Mau covering 66,000, 22,700 and 84,000 hectares, Trans-Mara (34,400ha) and Ol Pusimoru (17,200ha).

A sixth large block, the Maasai Mau, covering 46,000 hectares, is not a gazetted forest. The Mau has deep, fertile, volcanic soils, and enjoys one of the highest rainfall levels in Kenya. Annual rainfall ranges between 1,000mm to a high of 2,000mm as you move towards the west.

Numerous streams drain the forests west of the sharp crest, forming part of the Sondu and Mara river systems, which flow into Lake Victoria, and the Southern Ewaso Nyiro system, which flows into Lake Natron.

The Eastern Mau is the main watershed for Lake Nakuru, through the Njoro, Makalia and Enderit rivers. The surrounding areas are intensively farmed, with human population about twice as high on the western side of the forest compared to the East. Vegetation patterns are complex with lower montane forest below 2,300m and westwards to thickets of bamboo, which consists of forest and grassland. The southwestern zone is the most affected by illegal logging.

The forest is under trust land, managed by the County Council of Narok, one of the richest local authorities in the country.

Most of the problems may have begun in 1999 when the local authority allowed group ranches, owned by the locals, to be subdivided and sold to members.

To address real issues, a fence is to be erected around the forest, just as in sections of the Aberdare Forest, which have been electric-fenced to stem human-wildlife conflict.

Since the forest is the source of 12 rivers and a lifeline for millions of people, the committee would mobilize resources to restore the complex and establish a special court to prosecute those found involved in irregularities in the forest.

The task force comprises of 21 members drawn from senior officials from relevant ministries, representatives of stakeholders groups and expert organizations including United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The prime minister has imposed an embargo on logging and burning of charcoal in order to prevent further destruction of the forest.

“The task force will ensure that no further destruction by felling trees for building and burning of charcoal. Police have been informed and no lorry should be seen carrying trees or charcoal from the forest,” warned Odinga.

He expressed concern over the continued degradation of Mau Complex.

“The excisions and the widespread encroachments have led to the destruction of nearly a quarter of the Mau Complex area over the last 15 years. Such an extensive and on-going destruction of a key natural asset for the country is nothing less than a national emergency,” added the Prime Minister.

The country is feeling economic and environmental pinch of the continued degradation of the great ecosystem through activities such as illegal logging, excisions and encroachments.

Recently the government cancelled the commissioning of the 60MW Sondu Miriu hydroelectricity project because the water levels in the holding dam had drastically reduced. The rationale was that river Sondu that feeds the dam originates from Mau forest which is currently under threat from human activities.

Now the future of the US $185 million hydro power station funded by the Japanese government hangs in the balance at time when the cost of electricity in the country has skyrocketed. On the other hand, rivers flowing from Mau forest to wildlife sanctuaries like Lake Nakuru and the Mara-

A tourist atop the Mau Escarpment

Serengeti triangle are drying up putting the region’s multi-billion dollar tourism industry at risk.

Apart from the energy and tourism sectors, agriculture which is Kenya’s backbone is also adversely affected since majority of the population is rural based and depends on rain-fed farming. Mau’s deep and fertile volcanic soils coupled with high rainfall have catapulted massive encroachment in search of livelihoods.

The Ogiek community who still practice hunter-gatherer lifestyle is set to be the major casualty in the much anticipated eviction from the forest. To add salt to the insult, some members of the endangered community which is faced with a possible extinction have been evicted from the forest since the 1980s and are awaiting resettlement.

Although experts argue they have traditional ways of utilizing the forest resources sustainably, hunting and gathering is against the forestry policy. Degradation of Mau forest started in the late 1990s when over 28,000 settlers were allocated plots.

This and other illegal encroachments are formalized in degazettement proposals published in February 2001 and affecting more than a quarter of the current gazetted area. The degazettement notice covers some tracts of relatively intact forest as well as recently settled areas.

Environmentalists approximate that 28 percent of forest cover in the eastern sector was lost between 1967 and 1989. The recent



EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

17

Conservation

Benefits and Impacts

Mara river, one of the rivers drying up due to mau forest encroachment

excisions targets the western areas which contain the most valuable and intact tracts of closedcanopy forest. However, the government’s latest efforts to evict people to conserve the forest has been met with strong opposition from a section of Members of Parliament (MPs) mainly drawn from the expansive Rift Valley province who have vowed to use all the available legal avenues to prevent the move.

The legislators say although they were not opposed to the conservation of the Mau forest, they did not want the government to create more Internally Displaced Persons (IDPS) through haphazard evictions.

But the prime minister has asked the leaders to stop politicizing the issue saying environmental conservation plays a key role in economic development.

He promised the 2,000-squarter families who have title deeds living in the forest would be humanely relocated to a new site already identified by the government.

A similar controversial eviction exercise having flopped in 2005, the government is committed to succeed this time round having learnt from the past mistakes.

This forest complex covers a substantial area of the south-western highlands of Kenya, and probably represents the largest remaining near-continuous block of montane indigenous forest in East Africa.

The forests cloak the western slopes, and part of the crest, of the Mau Escarpment, a block of raised land that forms the western wall of the Gregory Rift Valley, rising steeply from the floor and sloping away more gradually to the west.

The surrounding areas are intensively farmed, with human population densities about twice as high on the western side of the forest as on the east. Vegetation patterns are complex, but there is a broad altitudinal zonation from west to east, lower montane forest below 2,300m giving way to thickets of bamboo Arundinaria alpina mixed with forest and grassland, and finally to montane sclerophyllous forest near the escarpment crest.

The lower montane forest is in best condition in the South-western Mau Nature Reserve, where characteristic trees include Aningeria adolfi-friedericii and Strombosia scheffleri.

Elsewhere, this zone has been heavily and

18

EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

destructively logged, most recently for plywood from Polyscias kikuyuensis.

Logged-over areas are dominated by pioneer species such as Tabernaemontana stapfiana, Syzygium guineense and Neoboutonia macrocalyx, while pockets of less-disturbed forest hold Olea capensis, Prunus africana, Albizia gummifera and Podocarpus latifolius. Substantial parts of the high Juniperus-Podocarpus-Olea forest have been encroached and cleared, although some sections remain in good condition. Large areas of both the Eastern and Western Mau have been converted to plantation forest.

Way forward for Mau Forest

T

wo years ago, the United Nations Environment Programme, Kenya Forests Working Group, Kenya Department of Resource Surveys and Remote Sensing and EU-biodiversity Conservation Programme suggested a way forward, in attempts to save the Mau. Below are their suggestions: There are clear opportunities to recover forests and conserve critical upper catchments without evicting people, but merely by resettling people within the same excised forest area, hence rationalizing the land use.

• Three options are being suggested.

Option 1 (minimum option) Criteria for recovering forest land

To recover all main excised areas with at least 40 per cent of forest cover (or dense vegetation cover) in line with the Government’s policy to increase forest cover in the country.

• To recover all areas above 2,800 metres (above sea level) in order to preserve the catchment values of the top of the Mau Escarpment.

• To consolidate the areas recovered above to avoid fragmentation, to streamline boundaries and to facilitate forest management.

• To minimize the number of households to be resettled in the same excised forest area.

Over 4,000 Ha of excised land with a good forest cover will be recovered.

• Just over 7,100 Ha of excised land around the top of the Mau Escarpment with high catchment values will be recovered.

• Forest land consolidated; boundaries streamlined.

• Some 2,600 households will need to be resettled. They can be resettled in the excised areas with low settlement density.

Option 2 (upper catchment conservation) Criteria for recovering forest land

• To recover all main excised areas with at least 40 per cent of forest cover (or dense vegetation cover) in line with the Government’s policy to increase forest cover in the country.

• To recover all areas above 2,700 metres (above sea level) in order to preserve the catchment values of the top of the Mau Escarpment.

• To consolidate the areas recovered above to avoid fragmentation, to streamline boundaries and to facilitate forest management.

• To minimize the number of households to be resettled in the same excised forest area.

Benefits and Impacts

• Over 4,000 Ha of excised land with a good forest cover will be recovered.

• Over 10,600 Ha of excised land around the top of the Mau Escarpment with high catchment values will be recovered.

• Forest land consolidated; boundaries streamlined.

• Some 4,500 households will need to be resettled. All of them can be resettled in the excised areas with low settlement density depending upon the resettlement policy regarding the area allocated per household.

Option 3 (upper catchment and soil conservation) Criteria for recovering forest land

• To recover all main excised areas with at least 40 per cent of forest cover (or dense vegetation cover) in line with the Government’s policy to increase forest cover in the country.

• To recover all areas above 2,700 metres (above sea level) in order to preserve the catchment values of the top of the Mau Escarpment. Continued on pg 22

Conservation

Black Rhino returns to Kenya

Number raises as a result of massive conservation efforts

By Wahinya Henry

K

enya which had initially been perceived as a reluctant participant in a decade old campaign to save the black rhino has shrugged off the tag after the country put in place a massive conservation effort that has witnessed the rise in the number of the endangered specie.

At a regional forum to celebrate the period the campaign has been carried out, Kenya was feted for bringing Africa’s black rhinos back from the brink of extinction through the world’s most successful conservation programmes on the African continent.

To the rest of the participating countries, Kenya finally demonstrated that in partnership with governments and communities and business stakeholders, it was possible to stave off extinction for the rhino in some of its former range.

Her massive conservation efforts have witnessed the rise in the number of black rhinos, a major source of tourism revenue, the only remaining population of eastern sub-species after years of decline from poaching and habitat loss.

What now remains for the country and the rest of the participating states are measures to secure a future for the rhino in the rest of its range, where threats from poaching and development urgently need to be addressed.

Initially, there had been uproar among various interest groups who felt the country’s rhino conservation efforts had not led to the desired results during the last decade. Habitat loss and continued poaching led to everdeclining numbers despite great efforts to turn the trend.

Black rhinos in Kenya and other parts of Africa are still under threat, especially from poachers who see the animal’s horn as a source of income. Rhino horn is in high demand in parts of Asia where it is often crushed into powder and used for traditional medicine.

In the Middle East, rhino horn is still fashioned into curved handles for ceremonial daggers. It is estimated that in Kenya, numbers of the eastern sub-species of black rhino dropped from around 20,000 in 1970 to less than 500 animals in the early 1980s.

This drastic decline was due to poaching, which took place unabatedly inside and outside national parks and reserves. The Kenya Wildlife Service, in cooperation with the black rhino project, has been working to increase Kenya’s black rhino population to 1,000 by

Black Rhino with Juvenile

2020 through the expansion of existing rhino sanctuaries and through the establishment of new protected areas that can accommodate future population growth.

“With increased improvement in wildlife management and monitoring, the black rhino population can continue to show a healthy growth rate for many years to come,” according to conservationist, Dr Taye Teferi.

Kenya’s contribution to the exercise was singled out at a forum for representatives of the governments of Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia at the World Wide Fund’s (WWF’s) African Rhino Programme (ARP) 10th anniversary celebration in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, recently.

In attendance were government and wildlife representatives, community representatives and eco-tourism operators from the current ARP participating States which include South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe. Africa’s savannas once teemed with more than a million white and black rhinos.

However, relentless hunting by European settlers saw rhino numbers and distribution quickly decline. The southern white rhino was close to extinction by the late 19th century but concerted conservation efforts has led to a significantly larger population.

“We have seen an increase in rhino populations of at least five percent per year over the last decade, which is encouraging,” George Kampamba, WWF International’s African Rhino Programme Coordinator said at the event.

Added to hunting and habitat loss, illegal trade in rhino horn peaked in the 1970s and 1980s when huge quantities were shipped to the lucrative markets of the Middle East and Asia.

Responding to the crisis, both species of African rhino were listed in 1977 in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which prohibited all international trade of rhino parts and products. Despite this international legal protection, the black rhino population at its lowest point dipped to 2,400 in 1995. In 1997, there were 8,466 white rhinos and 2,599 black rhinos remaining in the wild. Today, there are 14,500 white rhinos and nearly 4,000 of the more endangered black rhinos.

Today, most of Africa’s black rhinos are found in South Africa, Namibia, Kenya and Zimbabwe, where the species’ decline has been stopped through effective security monitoring, better biological management, wildlife-based tourism and extensive assistance to enable communities to benefit from rather than be in conflict with wildlife.

According to the African Rhino Specialist Group of the IUCN Species Sur vival Commission, Africa’s white and black rhino numbers have shown annual growth rates of 6.8 per cent and 4.5 per cent, respectively, since 1995. “What we know from looking back at the last ten years is that sustained conservation can and does work,” says Continued on pg 22

EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

19

Nile Breweries’ C

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Nile Breweries Limited (NBL) is a subsidiary of SAB Miller-South Africa. As part of its Social Corporate Responsibility, NBL adopted sound environmental management, both at the company’s headquarters in the eastern Ugandan district of Jinja and in the communities that we directly work with around the country.

Oil Spillage: On occasions minor oil spillages occur at the brewery which get into the drainage system. This oil usually comes from the machinery we use at the brewery. To remove the oil from the water, we use a specially designed oil trap. The oil floats on the water and is removed manually. Only then is the water discharged from the brewery.

ACTIVITIES: NBL Gardens: At NBL, we value the environment we operate in and strive to make the surrounding as pleasant as possible for our employees. We therefore maintain our gardens to high standards.

The objective is to make the atmosphere pleasant and relaxed taking off some of the pressures of the work place. At the moment, we are working on a water recycling project that will provide water for the gardens and reduce our water consumption levels.

Glass Recycling: As part of NBL’s desire to ensure sound waste management standards by recycling waste, we negotiated with our glass bottle supplier to take back all broken glass so that it can be reworked. All glass breakages are measured on a shift basis and we have also managed to put in place very many measures to reduce the bottle breakages.

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20

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EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

Reduction of NBL’s Carbon Footprint: Nile Breweries is also committed to reducing

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CSR Environmental Efforts

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its carbon footprint through proper harvest and re-use of CO2 during the brewing process. NBL has distributed tree seedlings through its afforestation programme among its sorghum farming communities especially in eastern and western Uganda districts. Although this afforestation programme is relatively new, we believe it will go a long way in contributing to NBL’s carbon footprint.

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The Green Towns Project: Recently launched, the multi- million shillings treeplanting campaign is to be implemented in all major towns across Uganda.

Inaugurated in July 2008 in the West Nile district of Arua where over 50 palm trees were planted along the streets of the municipality, Nile Breweries was prompted to start the initiative due to the increasing use of concrete and lack of green open spaces in towns.

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The brewery will work jointly with municipal and city authorities as well as the communities in the towns to create greenery along major streets given the fact that most Ugandan towns are heavily exposed without good vegetation, trees, hence the dusty neighborhoods in the towns. The beauty of trees is that they do not only absorb dust but also stabilize road reserves, and when it rains, they reduce floods. But above all, trees make the towns look beautiful.

The project has also been designed in such a way that children below 10 years feature prominently in the planting of trees. This is a deliberate gesture of not only incorporating them in the project but also inculcating the spirit of environmental management in them. The towns on the immediate roll out plan include Gulu, Mbarara and Kabale and they will receive up to 200 trees depending on the length of the streets and avenues to be covered.

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21

Conservation

from pg 18 • To recover all areas with high soil erodibility and steep slopes.

• To consolidate the areas recovered above to avoid fragmentation, to streamline boundaries and to facilitate forest management.

• To minimize the number of households to be resettled in the same excised forest area.

Benefits and Impacts

• Over 4,000 Ha of excised land with a good forest cover will be recovered.

• Over 13,100 Ha of excised land around the top of the Mau Escarpment with high catchment values will be recovered.

• Reduction of soil erosion and siltation of lakes and rivers.

• Fo re s t l a n d c o n s o l i d a t e d ; b o u n d a r i e s streamlined.

• Some 6,700households will need to be resettled.

A majority of them can be resettled in the excised areas with low settlement density depending upon the resettlement policy regarding the area allocated per household.

South West Mau:

The situation in South West Mau differs substantially from Eastern Mau. • There are no large tracks of forest in the excised area that can be recovered. However there are some isolated valuable forest plantations along the boundary between the excision and settlements.

• The excised areas have a medium to high settlement density.

• Some 2,300 households were recorded encroaching illegally up to 10 kilometres inside the remaining gazetted forest reserve.

• The excised areas are further away from the top of the Mau Escarpment.

• There are steep river valleys that cross the excised areas.

• The excised area forms an important part of the upper catchment of Sondu river and is likely to impact negatively on the lower catchments and the Sondu-Miriu hydropower plant currently under construction.

Suggested way forward

• There is urgency in evicting all illegal squatters in the remaining gazetted forest reserve and in monitoring the situation periodically.

• There are no clear opportunities to recover forests from the excised areas and conserve those critical upper catchments without evicting a substantial number of people.

• There is need to boost agro-forestry practices in the excised areas and to promote terracing in the steeper river valleys to conserve the catchment value of the area.

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EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

from pg 6

Change in rainfall patterns

The report notes that the rainfall patterns have become erratic and destructive.

According to Oxfam, the changing weather pattern is caused by pollution, especially by gases from industries.

“Most of the current warming is being driven by outpouring of green house gases from coal, oil and gas that powered the industrial revolution in Europe and the US 150 years ago,” the report notes.

“We all witnessed first hand the devastation caused by the floods and landslides last year, and scientific experts warn that with the current change in climatic conditions, this is just the beginning of these sorts of natural disasters,” says Savio Carvalho, Oxfam Country Director in Uganda. He adds: “Rich nations must cut their greenhouse gas emissions, but unless poor countries increase adaptation efforts, we are likely to see increased deaths and displacements due to hunger, floods and landslides as well as epidemics as a result of climate change.”

The report observes that farmers in Uganda need to learn new practices to adapt to new climatic changes, showing that adaptation can help the communities live with the climatic change that has taken its toll on farming and pastoral communities.

It says farmers like Mbejuna are struggling hard to cope and calls for natural resources management. “Development cannot be sustainable unless the Government takes natural resource management seriously.”

The report launched by Vice-President, Prof. Gilbert B. Bukenya at Theatre Labonita in Kampala, calls for urgent measures to be taken to prevent land degradation and restore lost wetlands, forests, water bodies and other ecological systems.

Oxfam calls on the government to speed up the process of adapting to climate change

by immediately implementing the National Adaptation Programmes of Action.

“There is more erratic rainfall in the March to June rain season, bringing drought and reductions in crop yields and plant varieties.

“Then the rainfall towards the end of the year is more intense and destructive, bringing floods, landslides and soil erosion.

If temperatures rise too far, Uganda’s coffee crop is in danger of extinction,” notes Oxfam.

Effects on MDGs

Oxfam believes that increasing people’s capacity to adapt to climate change will achieve a double benefit, by also contributing to the goal of overcoming poverty and suffering in Uganda and achieving the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 (MDGs).

During the research, Oxfam visited several parts of the country listening to poor men and women who have borne the brunt of climate change effects. From the natural disaster-prone areas of the Rwenzori region to the drought-hit areas of Karamoja, rural and urban people described how their livelihoods and traditions face serious threats and even possibly ultimate extinction.

The lead researcher on the report, John Magrath, says climate change is really happening and makes life more difficult for the poor. “There is need for concerted efforts from government authorities, local leaders and policy makers as well as civil society.

These include environmental measures to reduce deforestation and restore wetlands, as well as measures to reduce poverty, like providing basic services like health and water, investing in agriculture and strengthening pastoralism through ensuring mobility,” he notes

Rhino conservation in Africa is growing from strength to George Kampamba, WWF International’s African Rhino Programme Coordinator.

Although WWF has worked on Rhino conservation throughout its 45-year history, the ARP was notable for its overall approach.

Working through field projects, it combined action at every level from local communities to global policy.

One striking, if unanticipated, indicator of the success of the programme is that land prices immediately increase in areas where rhinos are re-introduced through a range expansion program.

The ARP, which has had experience reintroducing rhinos to national parks, also passed a milestone last year when a KwaZulu Natal community received black rhinos for community-owned land dedicated to wildlife and ecotourism uses.

“Rhino conservation in Africa is growing from strength to strength. But poaching, illegal trade, and unplanned development remain significant problems across the rhinos’ range and there is no room for complacency”, according to the conservationist, said Dr Susan Lieberman

Regional Update

CLIMATIC CHANGE AND THE PLIGHT OF YOUTH IN UGANDA rising. Sea levels showed the fastest recorded rise at 4mm per year in the 1990s and future increases are likely to be similar or greater, while longer term increases in sea level may surpass 1m per century.

By Daniel Omodo - McMondo

Background

Climatic change is variably defined by different people but for this purpose it refers to a variability in long term weather conditions/ patterns (climate) resulting from changes in the composition of global atmosphere.

Climatic change is a global phenomenon and is due to increased retention of radiant energy in the atmosphere due to increase of Green House Gases (GHGs) especially carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) in the atmosphere as a result of natural processes to a lesser extent and anthropogenic (human– induced) activities to a major extent.

Studies reveal increasing trends in temperature, green house gases and sea levels. Global surface temperatures have increased at a rate near 0.06°C/decade but this trend has increased to a rate approximately 0.18°C/decade during the past 25 to 30 years, and 11 of the warmest years in the past 125 years occurred since 1990, with 2005 having been the warmest year. Atmospheric CO2 concentration has remained below 300 ppm for the past 600,000 years but is now at 380 ppm and

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in its Third Assessment Report (TAR) concludes that human activities are the main contributors to global warming. The Fourth Assessment Report confirms the TAR and provides clear policy guidance for actions now.

The major human contributors to climatic change include combustion of fossil fuels in engines of a variety of industries (including transport and energy production) at an increasing rate yet these fossil fuels took millions of years to form); deforestation (mainly for energy production); agricultural production (animal rearing, rice cultivation, poor agricultural practices, etc.); and pollution (from industrial and municipal waste decomposition) among others.

The least developed countries like Uganda are particularly vulnerable to adverse effects of climate change despite the fact that they contribute far much less GHGs than the developed countries.

On the other hand, Youth in Uganda, like many other countries of the world, are defined as all young persons between the ages of 18 to 30 years according to the National Youth Council Statute 1993 and The 1995 Constitution of Republic of Uganda. Youth and young people constitute 78 per cent of Uganda’s population which is about 27 million people (Population Census, 2002).

Climatic change problem and the youths in Uganda As a result of climatic change, there have been several problems namely:• Accelerated melting of ice on mountain tops (Mountain Rwenzori), which could rise sea

levels, flood coastal plains and cities (where a large fraction of the human population lives and works), thus heightening the problem of water insecurity.

• Floods and droughts due to climatic change lead to contamination of water sources, water borne and respiratory diseases. There has been increased pollution of water resources both in urban centres and rural areas as well as serious problems of sanitation, particularly in slums.

• Floods and droughts are leading to increased water scarcity in semi-arid areas such as Teso and Karamoja.

• Increased exposure to extreme weather events and the increased energy lingering in the earth system has resulted into more violent storms, land slides and collapse of infrastructure and ecosystems.

Disruption of transport infrastructure such as washing away of bridges cuts off populations, the majority of which are youth from accessing social basic services.

• Increased warming could escalate temperature extremes, floods, and droughts thus reducing agricultural productivity. Coffee, which is a major export earner in Uganda, is a fragile crop that is already showing negative signs due to Climatic Change. The cattle corridor is prone to droughts despite having the highest animal population.

This has led to high pressure on land resources leading to serious land degradation from both grazing animals and pastoralists looking for fuel wood thus causing severe soil erosion during heavy rains.

In Uganda, the youths are regarded as a marginalized group of the population that is faced with several challenges including; • High levels of poverty among the youths directly linked to their high dependence on adults and high levels of unemployment. The Uganda Poverty Participatory Assessment Project (UPPAP) report of 2000 categorised the majority of the youths among the poor and vulnerable people in Uganda. The youths have a limited access to factors of production due to their lack of ownership of collateral.

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World Environment Day

• This problem is further exacerbated by the high population growth rate (3.4%) in Uganda.

• Youth unemployment in Uganda is still unacceptably high. Recent studies by the Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development indicate that about 380,000 youths are released in the job market each year to compete for the estimated 90,000 jobs available representing an unemployment rate of about 76 per cent. The frustration of unemployment has resulted into high crime rate and in some cases insecurity in some parts of the country.

• The long instability in some parts of the country notably northern Uganda and Karamoja has disrupted normal economic activities of the people, most youths become both victims and perpetrators of violence, and as a result, most of the youths have ended up in prison, while others migrated to urban areas hence limiting their ability to engage in meaningful developmental activities including planning and decision making processes back home.

• Reliable sources have reported that the main challenge to the implementation of the World Programme of Action on Youth in Uganda has been financial constraints. The budgetary supply towards the ministry responsible for the youths has not been commensurate to the volume of work and the expectations of the youths.

Consequently, most of the planned youth programmes remain unimplemented.

Key linkages between climate change and the

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EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

youths in Uganda include; • Youths are the majority and thus most affected by the negative impacts of climatic change in Uganda.

• Climate change can induce poverty thus exacerbating the already high poverty levels among the youths. This is critical as it could limit youths from accessing basic social services such as food, shelter, education, health, water, sanitation, transport, communication and energy among others thus rendering them highly vulnerable to other climatic change induced impacts. Put differently, lower yields mean less food and more hunger. More illness is also linked to seasonal climatic variations, with malaria cases, for example, shooting upwards in the rainy season. Oxfam (2008) further reported that Ugandans cite illness, with the consequent inability to work and the costs of seeking medical treatment, as the main immediate reason for falling into poverty.

What has been done regarding climatic change and the youths in Uganda?

Uganda is a signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which provides the framework for mitigating causes of climate change and its effects. The ultimate objective of this Convention and any other related legal instruments that the Conference of the Parties

may adopt is to achieve, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Convention, stabilization of concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. Such a level should be achieved within a timeframe sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.

Under the UNDP Global Strategic Plan 200811, UNDP’s climate change strategy has four pillars namely; 1. Assist developing countries (including Uganda) to meaningfully contribute to development of post-2012 climate regime.

2. Increase capacity of developing countries to adapt to climate change.

3. Create market conditions for sustainable development and climate change mitigation.

4. Mainstream climate change into UNDP core activities, as well as relevant UN activities and programmes.

Mitigation of green house gases The UNFCCC recognizes the contribution of developed countries to the build up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and therefore commits these countries to do more. The convention committed developed countries to reduce their greenhouse gas

emissions to the 1990 level by the year 2000 but not many complied with this commitment. Parties to the Kyoto Protocol will now have no option but to comply with their greenhouse gas emission reduction commitment.

Adaptation to climate change

Adaptation is built into the objective of the UNFCCC that is to lower climate change risks in developing countries so as to attain the MDGs. Such a level should be achieved within a time-frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.

An example of global initiatives for Climatic Change adaptation is the UNDP UNEP Climate Change and Development Adapting by Reducing Vulnerability (CC DARE) initiative focussed on providing technical backstopping and seed funds for capacity building for climatic change adaptation in Uganda.

Implementation of the UNFCCC in Uganda The Ministry responsible for Environment through the UNFCCC National Focal Point Office which coordinates the issues of climate change and implementation of climatic change activities has drawn on and integrated expertise from other line ministries: • Preparation of Initial National Communication involved; inventory of greenhouse gas emissions and removals, identification of vulnerable sectors and adaptation options and identification of measures, which could be given resources, • Technology Needs Assessment, • Preparation of the National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPA), which included; identification of urgent and immediate interventions to minimize negative impacts of climate change on rural communities including; community tree planting, land degradation management, strengthening meteorological services, community water and sanitation, water for production, drought adaptation, vectors, pests, disease control and; climate change and development planning.

• A conceptual framework for implementing the NAPA is near completion Uganda has actively participated in and is a signatory to several Climatic Change related agreements namely: • The 2005 Climate Change Meeting in Montreal which established two processes namely an Ad Hoc Working Group to negotiate commitments for developed country Parties to the Kyoto Protocol for the second commitment period and beyond – output legally binding and a dialogue on long-term cooperation action to enhance implementation of the convention – no output (knowledge

– improved understanding).

• The Bali Convention of 2007 had a key outcome to develop an AWG with a clear time table to conclude negotiations for the second commitment period and beyond by 2009 and the Bali Action Plan, which was the most significant political outcome focusing on: mitigation, adaptation, development and access to technologies, financing, reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation focussed on capacity building to enable quantification of compensation. An Adaptation Fund including negotiations on Governance structure and modalities for accessing funds were completed, a Board established and Members of the Board elected. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) was invited to serve as Secretariat to the Board and Trustee of the fund respectively.

Several projects to address climatic change have and continue to be implemented in Uganda, with support from development partners such as the World Bank, UNDP, UNEP, Norway and DFID among others for instance the tree planting micro projects under the UNDP/GEF Small Grants Programme and UNEP Multi Lateral Agreements Project and the National Disaster Risk Policy that also focuses on climate change funded by UNDP

among others.

Ugandans have lived with disasters such as floods and droughts for a long time and have developed some coping mechanisms which are localized. However, these should be developed and popularised. For instance Ugandans use wild food including leaves, stems, fruits and yams as well as storage preservative facilities/technologies e.g. granaries and honey are used in times of droughts and also migration to higher ground or highlands, use of boats, floating materials and sometimes tree climbing to cope with heavy floods.

What has been done regarding the youths in Uganda?

The Republic of Uganda recognized that youths present an opportunity for a sustained effort to participate in the country’s development process because they constitute the majority (78%) of the population, posses greater energy, workforce and potential. Through the Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development, the Department of Youth has spearheaded policy formulation, standard setting, quality assurance and training of youth in

EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

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the country. The National Youth Council, established by an Act of Parliament in 1993 opened further avenues for the youths to take part in decision-making processes at all levels of governance.

The Constitution of Uganda provides for affirmative policy for the youths through their representation in the national assembly by five MPs and at each district local councils by two youth councilors. The government formulated and implemented the National Youth Policy in 2000 to provide guidance on the implementation of youth empowerment programmes in the country with a mission of “youth empowerment through education, training and capacity building.”

The youths being among the poor people in Uganda, are targeted as a group by the Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP), now being revised into a National Development Plan, the Plan for Modernisation of Agriculture (PMA), Social Development Sector Investment Plan (SDIP), which promotes issues of social protection, gender equality and equity and human rights of the poor and vulnerable and emphasizes mobilization of communities to participate in development programmes and demand for services accountability; reduction in inequality and exclusion; creating enabling environment for increased employment opportunities; protection of vulnerable persons from deprivation and livelihood risks as well as gender mainstreaming in other sector plans.

Other sector wide approaches and plans that have attempted to mainstream the youths include Environment and Natural Resources Sector Investment Plan (ENRSIP), Health Sector Strategies Plan (HSSP), Education Sector Investment Plan (ESIP) and Justice, Law and Order Sector Plan (JLOSP) among others.

Poverty eradication programmes and activities are implemented through a decentralized framework. Local governments determine local development priorities, plans and budgets and implement local programmes using conditional, unconditional and equalisation grants as well as locally generated revenue.

enough, the best thing to do is to act now through practically implementing such plans and budgets into on-the-ground activities to avoid the negative impacts of climatic change that increasingly face man kind particularly the youths who have a bigger stake in the future.

Some recommendations on climatic change and youths for Uganda • Preparedness is more important to mitigating negative impacts of climate change as evidenced by Hurricane Katrina and the resulting disaster (USA). Ugandans like other countries must develop mechanisms to mitigate and cope with negative impacts of climate change. Indigenous technologies exist but these need improvement and enhancement • Adaptation technologies are area specific and therefore south to south adaptation technology transfer makes more sense.

Promotion of cooperation in this area should be supported especially coping with effects of droughts and floods.

• The Government of Uganda with the assistance of its development partners urgently needs to: (a) Assess vulnerabilities in key sectors (including the Youth Sector); (b) Integrate climate change risks into Poverty Reduction Strategic Plans such as the NDP at national level as well as Local Government and Community Development Plans; (c) Access funding to support adaptation.

• In addressing climate change and its negative impacts, the Government of Uganda should create an enabling environment for organized people such as private companies, faith based organizations, community based organizations, NGOs, local councils and schools, which hold the key to addressing the climatic change problem in Uganda.

• There is need to support national disaster risk assessments, including those related to climate change.

There are now several projects targeting youths at the national and local levels.

Conclusion

In conclusion, climate change is real and it is beginning to negatively impact on Uganda’s ecological, social-economic and political environments including the youths.

Having good plans and budgets is not good

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Specific recommendations for mitigation of green house gases • There is need for Ugandans particularly the youths to develop new approaches to stimulate markets plus payments for

environmental services and projects under the Cleaner Development Mechanism (CDM) for GHG reduction. Ugandans should exploit the available opportunities, such as the MDG Carbon Facility among others to identify and develop projects, mobilize co-finance, facilitate project approval, realize Carbon Emissions Reductions (CERs), and support project implementation.

Specific recommendations for climate change adaptation As a first step to Climatic Change adaptation, there is need to build capacity of all stakeholders particularly the youths at all levels through: • Awareness rising on actual and expected climate changes at national and local level, their likely impacts and appropriate adaptation efforts with youths’ participation.

• Analysis of climate sensitive areas that are critical to the achievement of key development objectives in Uganda, and development of a roadmap for integrating climate change vulnerabilities particularly those affecting the youths.

• Analysis and quantification of key links between climate change impacts and adaptation options with general development goals.

• Build capacity for climate screening of activities in different sectors including the youth sector.

• Develop and test a simple tool, i.e. climate screening module, for planning of major investments, for instance, infrastructure (roads, buildings, bridges, dams, and rail) including their maintenance in relation to youths and other vulnerable groups.

• Design and test a format for incorporating climate vulnerability in the new NDP. This format should include relationships between development and climate vulnerability for the different pillars of the NDP. • Identification of climate change sensitive short, medium and long term activities in major sectors (including the youths, energy and infrastructure sectors) of Uganda, and assessment of vulnerabilities in relation to specific projects.

Daniel Omodo – McMondo is a Programme Officer (Environment) in UNDP Uganda Country Office

Renewable Energy

The Cheif Guest Prof. Tarsis Kabwegyere (fore ground), the minister for Relief and Disaster Preparedness inspects stalls at this year’s World Population Day celebrations at Kakyeka stadium, Mbarara Municipality (Courtesy photo)

Stopping Uganda’s population growth

At the current rate, Uganda’s population grows at an annual rate of 3.2 percent, one of the highest in the world. However, reproductive health experts say family planning can bring about a quality population, Ronald Musoke writes.

A

lthough Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni always reminds everyone who cares to listen that the country’s rapidly growing population is a blessing; experts argue that it depends on a number of factors, the quality of the population being one of them.

There are definitely some advantages that can be harnessed from big populations. Economies of scale can be reaped from big populations whereby larger markets are provided for goods and services, a big labour force that can be tapped on to provide specialized services and not least of all benefits of open markets and free trade. This view has long been held by President Museveni who sees opportunities in Uganda’s rapid population growth.

“A country’s population is its most important

resource and asset. The wealth of a nation is not in the soils and stones in the ground. It is in its people, its population”, Museveni said recently in his speech read by Prof Tarsis Kabwegyere, the Minister of Relief and Disaster Preparedness at Kakyeka Stadium in Mbarara district where national celebrations for World Population Day were held on July11.

However, other people argue that Uganda’s growing population will create opportunities only and only if it is healthy and trained. Rapid population growth impacts on many aspects of our lives: health, education, water, food, employment and the environment, says Stella Kigozi, the Senior National Programme Officer at Population Secretariat.

On health, she says that as the population grows, so does the demand for health care. This

means that more funding is required. In many developing countries, health care is already stretched to the limits; just over half of all births in these countries take place without a skilled doctor, nurse or midwife.

Population and Environmental Quality

The UNFPA says that about half of the earth’s biological production capacity has already been diverted to human use. Life supporting eco-systems are affected everywhere by the planet’s 6.7 billion people which is projected to reach at least 9.2 billion by 2050.

The UN population agency says humans are depleting natural resources, degrading soil and Continued on pg 31 EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

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SGS Environment Services SGS Ecoserv. Before the merger, ECOSERV was the first operator in Africa to achieve ISO Guide 25 (now ISO 17025) for its ambient air monitoring service in 1999.It was also responsible for introducing realtime, database-centric monitoring networks that put data in the hands of its customers.

Since then, SGS Ecoserv has delivered cost-effective monitoring solutions for global businesses intent on meeting increasingly stringent air quality objectives. Comprehensive data sets, demanding quality objectives and dedication to delivery are the hallmarks of our service.

Background

SGS Environmental Services is a global service division of SGS which currently operates worldwide and has nodes of operation in Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa, specializing in many environmental services like air quality monitoring, Environment Impact Assessments (EIAs), Soil and Water testing, Soil Impact Assesments (SIAs), Environmental audits and environmental baseline studies.

SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity.

With more than 48,000 employees, SGS operates a network of 1,000 offices and laboratories around the world.

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EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

SGS Services Emission Testing Applying US Environment Protection Agency methods to the testing of emissions from a range of industrial facilities and sources, our teams use proprietary equipment that allows precise measurement to the most demanding standards.

Our reports have been used for design purposes by Africa’s largest industries, compliance reporting for international lenders, national governments and international environmental performance reporting.

Ambient Air Testing In 2007, ECOSERV and SGS South Africa joined forces to create one cohesive environmental service group for Africa called

Dust Deposition Monitoring Specialist subsidiary Annegarn Environmental Research (AER) focuses on the assessment of medium-term trends in dust management in the vicinity of mines and metallurgical facilities.

With over 1,000 monitoring points reporting dust concentrations on a monthly basis, AER’s customers’ long term databases provide confidence in the effectiveness of environmental control mechanisms.

Occupational Hygiene Good occupational hygiene control provides protection to employees from hazards in the work place. SGS Ecoserv provides a risk assessmentto- validation data service intended to provide our customers with confidence in their monitoring and systems.

in Africa Monitoring Services include specializations in noise, heat, gas, and dust, asbestos and ergonomics.

SGS Ecoserv is an Approved Inspection Authority, recognized by the South African Department of Labour.

Environmental Permitting/ Environmental Impact Assesment/Environmental Impact Statement Permitting or certification of developments is a regulatory tool used by government or other stakeholders for the protection of ecological and human environments.

Permits can specify both general and particular operating requirements.

Permits are typically granted following an Environmental Impact Assesment (EIA) and the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) detailing both the benefits and impacts of a development. The EIS includes a detailed description of the social impact aspects of the development.

Since 1994, SGS Environment has undertaken over 400 environmental impact assessments and accompanying reports.

The assessments have been undertaken in a number of African countries including Botswana, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, DR Congo, Ghana, Guinea, South Africa and Tanzania. All the assessments have involved the use of national consultants in the respective countries and in some instances

WHEN YOU NEED TO BE SURE

co-operation with other international environmental consultants.

Social Baseline Surveys International organizations and associations such as the ICMM (International Council on Mining and Metals), the World Coal Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), and multi-laterals, such as the World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC), now more than ever recognize the importance of providing guidance to improve the contribution of extractive industries to the sustainability of communities.

Major banks around the world have also set the ‘Equator Principles’ to determine if projects that they may finance will be developed and operated in a socially responsible and rewarding manner. The key to improving contributions to sustainability and enabling social responsibility is to begin a social baseline survey at the very earliest stages of a development.

SGS Environment has wide experience in undertaking social baseline surveys, especially in the West African mining industry.

It has collected basic data on demographics, number of affected people, local and regional facilities, the local economy, education levels and health status among others.

Soil and Groundwater SGS Ecoserv also provides soil and groundwater monitoring and analytical programmes aimed at

characterizing sub-surface facility conditions as part of due diligence and on going risk management projects.

Water Monitoring In many regions of Africa, water bodies are potentially both a receiver and a major transport medium for contaminants from industrial and domestic sources. Working closely with its laboratories, SGS Environment provides a sampling and analysis service to monitor water quality in urban, industrial and mining scenarios. Contaminant identification and concentration is a prerequisite to successful treatment, whether before or after entry into the receiving environment.

Data has been used to determine baseline water quality for new industrial operators and mines and to assist in the management of effluent discharges. Customers include mining companies, industrial operations, hotels and residential developments and investors.

The range of environmental solutions offered includes, ambient and indoor air sampling, stack emission sampling and continuous emission monitoring, indoor and environmental noise measurements, occupational health (work-place hygiene), water and waste water sampling and analysis, contaminated site/soil sampling and analysis, dioxin sampling, ISO 14001 cerification and training, ISO 18001/ OHSAS training and certification.

����������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

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Energy Conservation

In search of clean sources of power K

By Wamaitha Omondi

enya has not been spared the effects of the skyrocketing prices of oil. There has been an enormous increase in the prices of food and other basic needs.

Under Vision 2030, however, the country has set a growth target of 10 percent per annum over the next 20 odd years and achieving this target, according to the experts, will strongly depend on reliable and affordable energy supply for various activities.

A new programme was recently unveiled to promote Kenya’s renewable energy sources, while conserving non-renewable energy sources.

The blueprint dubbed ‘Kenya Energy Sector Environment Programme (KEEP)’ aims at transforming the Kenyan economy into a world-class economy through energy efficiency, environmental conservation and restoration.

Energy Minister, Kiraitu Murungi points out that the initiative was an action plan by both the government and its parastatals to conserve the environment.

Under the slogan ‘Kawi,Uchumi na Mazingira Bora’ the programme aspires to create visible projects with high impact and sustainable social-economic benefits through value adding partners and it will be based on energy conservation, tree growing for environmental conservation and commercial purposes, water shed management, education and public awareness.

The minister says KEEP is critical in the conservation efforts as it will be instrumental in addressing the important energy sector while at the same time checking depletion of forest cover without impeding the supply of timber and other forest products.

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“The long-term objective is to improve the livelihood of the Kenyan people through energy and environmental conservation on a sustainable basis. KEEP will specifically promote and popularize the benefits of environmental conser vation and restoration. It will also strive to create a culture of efficient energy use by promoting energy efficient appliances and fittings where investors could invest in tree growing as it has been proven to be a commercially viable venture,” Murungi says.

Kenya Electricity Generating Company Ltd (Kengen), managing director, Eddy Njoroge, says that the ten year action plan will steer in mitigating the effects of climate change which is a global debate and one tough challenge of our recent times.

Njoroge adds that his company, which is operating within NEMA recommended guidelines, has taken a deliberate strategy to pursue renewable sources of power from its indigenous geothermal and hydro sources.

“About 85 percent of our planned new capacity will come from clean geothermal and hydro renewable sources.

Pursuing these activities that conserve the environment will also bring additional benefits from carbon credit proceeds,” says the Kengen boss.

Kenya is a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol and therefore eligible to participate in clean development mechanism (CDM) carbon trading arrangements.

Launching the initiative recently, Prime Minister Raila Odinga said that energy by its nature affects all sectors of development and that neglecting its role as a resource and a factor of production can therefore impede the formulation and

implementation of development policies and programmes.

The prime minister said: “Mount Kenya, Aberdare range, Cherangany Hills among other water towers are the lifeline of the nation. However, the destruction of more than 100,000 hectares of forest cover in the Mau catchment area is due to illegal encroachment and the total annual revenue loss arising from such destruction is huge.

In addition, the Kenyan economy namely energy, agriculture, water, livestock and tourism are closely intertwined with the conservation of these water catchments.

Their destruction will impoverish the future generation of Kenya and it is vitally important that we protect them now.”

Odinga noted that siltation is mainly attributed to, poor land use practices, deforeatation, sand harvesting and clearing of land for settlement in the water catchments which reduces the capacity of the dams to retain water and the reservoir’s ability to regulate flows during drought.

KEEP comes into being as part of the reform packages and policy intervention that will ultimately lead to accelerated economic growth and development.

“The government developed a policy direction, legal and regulatory framework which are instrumental in consolidating and ring-fencing the energy sector reforms and it also infuses new thinking into the energy sector that is aimed at setting a foundation for a vibrant, modern and forward looking sector,” the prime minister observed.

The use of a collaborative strategy in the implementation of KEEP will be useful in ensuring that the fruits of the programme trickle down the grassroots. .

Primarily, KEEP aspires to improve livelihoods in line with national development goals to address poverty through activities such as tree growing for wood fuel as well as for commercial purposes.

Furthermore, it is important to instill environmental awareness and efficient energy utilization habits in the young generations so as to build an environmentally responsible generation

Population

Family planning can also reduce poverty and promote economic growth by improving family well-being, raising productivity and lowering fertility. water, and creating waste at an alarming rate, even as new technology raises crop yields, conserves resources and cleans up pollution.

While rich nations with low population growth are mainly accountable for the unsustainable use of the planet’s resources, developing countries, with lower overall consumption contribute a growing share of total CO2 emissions. UNFPA argues that slowing the rate of population growth may give countries time to take measures to meet people’s needs, while protecting the environment through various means.

The agency further argues that preventing unwanted births through family planning, and guaranteeing individuals and couples the right to reproductive health, can help slow population growth rates and moderate environmental impact and it might be one of the most costeffective ways of doing so.

The world population is rising by 78 million people per year and is projected to grow from 6.7 billion people to 9.2 billion by 2050 over 3 times the population at the turn of the millennium.

However, if birth rates remain unchanged, the U.N estimates that world population will be 11.9 billion by 2050.

UNFPA says that since the 1960s, fertility in developing countries has been reduced from an average of six births per woman to three, thanks primarily to the use of contraceptives. However, in 56 developing countries, the poorest women still average six births, compared to 3.2 for the wealthiest nations.

The wealthiest nations with less than 20 per cent of the earth’s population and the slowest population growth, accounts for 86 per cent of national resource consumption – much of it wasteful-and produce the majority of the pollution and CO2.

At the other extreme, the depletion of natural resources is occurring most rapidly in the poorest countries, where fertility rates are highest. The poorest 20 per cent of countries account for only 1.3 per cent of consumption; but their urgent drive for economic growth often leads to lax regulations of polluting industries and pressures to use marginal land for food.

Demand for water and food

Increased demand for water is directly related to population growth since more water is needed to grow more food. Lack of access to water is already putting pressure on about a third of the world’s population. Climate change is expected to make the problem worse in many places.

The challenges of preserving a sustainable

environment is greatest in poor countries that already struggle to meet their people’s needs and that face the greatest population growth and, because large and poor families put pressure on the environment, the search for fuel, wood, water and other basic needs makes the poor unwitting agents of environmental change. In poor countries, most of these agents are women and children.

UNFPA says one woman dies Visitors at Enviroconserve Africa’s stall during World Population every minute from causes related to Day celebrations in Mbarara (courtesy photo) pregnancy and childbirth. Many of these women would still be alive if they had not had unintended pregnancies. That is Speaking at a public debate at Hotel Royale why this year’s World Population Day adopted in Kampala on the theme: “Family Planning a family planning theme: “Promote and Invest for Uganda’s Development; Seizing a Missed in Family Planning for National Development.” Opportunity,” on July 3, Mohtashami said Family planning refers to the use of modern when there is knowledge that family planning contraception and other methods of birth control will reduce maternal mortality by 30 per cent, to regulate the number, timing and spacing of people should understand that this will bring children. about transformation of the population for the According to Mr. Charles Zirarema, the Acting better.

Director of Uganda’s Population Secretariat, Dr. Mohtashami reiterated his position during there is no doubt that family planning has proven the national celebrations in the southern Uganda benefits in terms of gender equality, maternal district of Mbarara arguing that about a third health, child survival, and preventing HIV. of maternal mortality can be prevented just by “Family planning can also reduce poverty using family planning methods. and promote economic growth by improving He argued that Philippines, a predominantly family well-being, raising productivity and Catholic country and Iran, a predominantly lowering fertility. It is hence one of the wisest Muslim country were both able to reduce and most cost-effective investments any country maternal mortality by 49 and 73 per cent can make towards a better quality of life,” he respectively by simply practicing family planning. says.

The maternal mortality rates have since fallen to He argues that limited access to contraception, double figures. on the other hand, constrains women’s He says: “Family planning is also a tool for opportunities to pull themselves and their empowering women. If a woman can manage families out of poverty. With many maternal and in determining the number of children she wants child related deaths occurring across the country to have, then she too will be able to make because of frequent unintended pregnancies, decisions in other key socio-political issues such health and population experts are urging more as property ownership and elections.” investment in family planning services.

Mohtashami argues that there are several In Uganda, about 1.5 million women would schools of thought on the merits of population like to delay pregnancy, space their children growth when linked to economic development or stop child bearing altogether, but are not and/or prevalence of poverty of a country. currently using any contraceptive method. As He says a country’s population only becomes a result, Uganda’s total fertility rate of 6.7 an asset when there is a so-called ‘population children is among the highest in the world, yet window of opportunity’ or ‘population dividend’ the expected fertility rate is about five children where the majority of the population is in the for women, according to the 2006 Uganda working group category. In this case, there are Domestic and Health Survey. high chances for economic development and Dr. Hassan Mohtashami, the UNFPA Country the reverse is true.

Representative for Uganda recently noted that On the same theme, Dr. Angela Akol, the family planning should go beyond fertility issues Family Health International Country Director and instead put more emphasis on bringing noted that socio-economic and environmental women’s health, human rights and development  into focus.

EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

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Population

development ultimately translates into wholesome development. She added that conversely, low utilization of family planning brings about a high population growth rate, large family size, frequent pregnancies, risky pregnancies which consequently lead to poverty.

Dr Akol says that at the moment, 41 per cent of married Ugandan women want to space or limit births but are not using contraceptives, adding that in 1989, contraceptive use was five per cent, in 2000 it rose to 23 per cent and in 2006, it marginally improved to 23.7 per cent.

Fertility has stagnated from 6.8 births in 1958 to 6.7 in 2006.

He argues that as far as current health spending is concerned, the budget for health is still very low. “The low health budget will have to increase eight fold in order to improve the health package,” she says, adding that high fertility is linked to high mortality. “Regardless of age, a woman’s risk while giving birth to her fourth child increases by 1.3 times,” she says.

However, although the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders have been trying to avail Ugandans family planning services with the main goal of reducing maternal mortality by 30 per cent and increasing modern contraceptive prevalence rate to 30 per cent among the general population, the practice among married Ugandan women is estimated at only 24 per cent, while among the 15-24 year category, it is merely 10 per cent.

What needs to be done

“Preventing unwanted pregnancies through voluntary family planning and guaranteeing people’s rights to reproductive health can help slow population growth and moderate its environment impact,” said Satiye Çağar, UNFPA Director for Information and External Relations in her mid July address to the G-8 International Parliamentarians’ Conference on Population and Sustainable Development in Japan.

Besides reducing unwanted pregnancies, expanding access to reproductive health, including family planning will help countries achieve Millennium Development Goal 5 on maternal health. It can also empower women to take part in family and community decisions, and enable them to acquire more education and engage in paid work. “Voluntary family planning programmes have a record of success in slowing population growth and saving women from dying in childbirth,” said Çağar. Çağar says providing full access to voluntary reproductive health services, which are relatively inexpensive, would be far less costly in the long run than the environmental consequences of rapid population growth from the failure to meet

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Voluntary family planning programmes have a record of success in slowing population growth and saving women from dying in childbirth the urgent need for reproductive health care.

However, the present set back is that family planning is now seriously under funded by donors and developing countries. To meet the unmet need for contraceptives, global population assistance should now exceed US $ 1.2b per year for family planning and increase to 1.6b by 2015.

In Ugnda, Dr Akol says there is need to speed up the Family Planning Revitalization Working Group as planned by the Ministry of Health last year. She also says there is need for task shifting whereby men should be brought into the mix in addition to integrating family planning into other health services such as malaria, HIV/AIDS programmes.

In a speech to mark World Population Day, the UN’s Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also reiterated the fundamental role of men in supporting women’s rights, including their right to sexual and reproductive health as being critical in reducing maternal deaths.

“As partners for maternal health, men can save lives. They play a decisive role in many respects. Husbands often make decisions about family planning and the use of house hold resources that influence the well being and prospects of the whole family.

“The support of an informed husband improves pregnancy and childbirth outcomes and can mean the difference between life and death in cases of complications, when women need immediate medical care. And supportive fathers can play an important role in the love, care and nurturance of their children,” Ki-moon said.

The Secretary General added that “when a woman can plan her family, she can plan the rest of her life. When she is healthy, she can be more productive. And when her reproductive rights are promoted and protected, she has freedom to participate fully and equally in society.”

Mr. Ki-Moon said many countries have succeeded in significantly reducing maternal death rates in the space of a decade, when women gained access to family planning, midwives and backup emergency obstetric care.

Setbacks in Uganda’s Family Planning Campaign

Although the Family Planning Association of Uganda (FPAU)-now Reproductive Health

Uganda (RHU) - has been in the country for the last 50 years, its impact on Ugandans has been so minimal.

One of the reasons for the dismal performance of family planning is that Ugandans are overwhelmingly traditionalists to the extent that this partially explains its failure. Family planning practices are directly linked to attitudes and hence its failure or success depends on attitudinal dispositions.

Dr. Henry Kakande, a consultant attached to the Access Quality and Use in Reproductive Health (ACQUIRE) project says that although many Ugandans are aware of family planning methods, the level of awareness is higher than that of use.

The situation seems to be worse among young people. Current teenage pregnancy rate is still unacceptably high at about 25 per cent. The number of unwanted pregnancies in Uganda clearly indicates an unmet need for safe, acceptable and inexpensive family planning services.

Kakande identified factors promoting low family planning use to include rumours about family planning misconceptions, lack of access to services, affordability, limited method mix, and opposition posed by civic leaders. Family planning has been misunderstood to mean ‘stop producing rather than, planning when to have children.’ “Ignorance about family planning methods and misconceptions need to be addressed nationwide at all levels to reverse the trend,” said Kakande.

The other main reason why there is a high unmet need for family planning is the fact that 31 per cent of the population is living below the poverty line, meaning that they depend on less than one US dollar, according to the 2005/6 Uganda National Healthy Survey. This implies that the majority of the population especially women can not afford to buy pills, one of the family planning methods, which are accessible in the nearby urban centres where they can access alternative family planning methods.

Dr Chris Baryomunsi, the Chairperson of the Food Security, Population and Development Committee and Member of Parliament for Kinkizi East in Kanungu district says family planning has failed mainly because of the long distances to health centres and the poorly trained health service providers.

He says that 1.2 million Ugandans are added onto the national population and consequently the budget for running the Ministry of Health is ever going up. The implication for this is that there is need to invest more resources in the ministry to cater for the rapidly growing population

Climate Change

Little to celebrate as Ozone Day is marked

By Obadiah Ayoti

A

s the world prepares to mark the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, there is little to write home about if the increased depletion is anything to go by.

Although many countries have ratified the Montreal protocol to protect the thin layer of gas that protects all life on earth from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation from space, there has been little effort towards implementation of the all-important treaty.

United Nations General Assembly adopted September 16 as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer in 1987 and called for concerted efforts among member states to put prerequisite measures in place to protect the layer.

Although over 100 countries have ratified the protocol including all the five East African states of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi, they fall short on implementation especially on the provision that calls for manufacturing of ozone friendly products.

Kenya ratified the protocol in 2000 but still lacks resources and expertise to fully conform to the letter and spirit of the treaty.

Kenya’s Permanent Secretar y in the Ministry of Environment Prof James Kiyiapi says that plans are at an advanced stage to establish a climate change national centre to coordinate environmental issues including ozone preservation.

According to the PS, the centre will not only provide information on climate change but also develop a national climate strategy and action plan which will among other things set out the government’s programmes aimed at curbing ozone depletion.

He warns that unless Kenya and other African countries which are vulnerable to climate change come up with strategies to reverse the trend, the dreams of achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 will not be realised.

To combat the impacts of climate change, Prof Kiyiapi notes that his ministry has partnered with that of Energy to embrace the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects which are not only environmentally friendly but also based on non-green house gas emitting technologies especially on non-carbon renewable energy.

At the same time, Prof Kiyiapi challenged the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) which is charged with among other things

Kenya’s Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources Permanent Secretary Prof. James L. Ole Kiyiapi fields questions from journalists during his recent visit to the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) headquarters in Nairobi to open an international workshop on climate change.

monitoring Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) of ozone to provide early warnings to enable the country plan in advance for conservation of environment in order to achieve sustainable development.

Generally, CDM projects must contribute to global efforts to achieve stabilization of green house gases concentration in the atmosphere, generate maximum economic, social and environmental benefits and transfer technologies that are locally appropriate, environmentally friendly and demonstrate energy efficiency with necessary precautions to avoid dumping of substandard technologies.

Most countries still emit the chief greenhouse gases (GHGs) which are responsible for global warming which include carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane (CH 4 ), nitrous oxide (N2O), tropospheric ozone (O3), and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).

These gases prevent the escape of heat initially received from the sun by the earth’s surface leading to global warming.

Experts say that the continual increase in CO2 and other GHGs in the earth’s atmosphere has already led to temperature increase which is projected to rise from 3-5°C by the year

2100.

This is further demonstrated in increases in global average air, ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice and rising global average sea level.

Other characteristics of global warming are shifts in rainfall patterns causing changes in weather patterns, prolonged drought, floods, melting of glacier especially in the Arctic, diminishing snow cover, heat waves, storms and hurricanes.

In East Africa for instance, Mt. Kenya and Mt. Kilimanjaro which are important sources of river streams and springs have lost 92 per cent and 82 per cent respectively of ice mass in the past century.

As a result of this, there is a significant drop in water levels of some lakes, rivers and dams causing severe socio-economic impacts since majority of the population is rural based which depend on rain-fed subsistence agriculture.

Apart from reducing emission and promoting alternative source of energy, experts argue that reforestation is very critical in mitigating climate change. The rationale here is to increase the forest cover hence natural carbon sinks.

Continued on pg 37 EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

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Roofings’ ONE MILLION

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Roofings Limited, one of the largest steel manufacturers in the Eastern Africa region has not only striven to continuously send better products onto the market, they have also incorporated sound environment management practices into their business. Sikander Lalani, the Chairman/ Managing Director of Roofings Limited shared his views with EnviroConserve AFRICA. Below are the excerpts of the interview EnviroConserve: Briefly tell our readers about Roofings Limited?

Lalani: Roofings Limited is one of the best and largest steel manufacturers in the Great Lakes region. Having been established in 1994, we have grown from strength to strength and are continuously improving upon our technology in order to efficiently satisfy our customers’ needs.

EnviroConserve: In 2003, you introduced the ‘instant build’ solution onto the Ugandan market. What exactly does it entail and what was the reaction towards this innovation?

Lalani: Yes. Instant build solution is a prefabricated twin unit which we introduced in the size of 6mx16m (2 rooms of 6x8m each).

It’s purely a steel structure roofed with sheets and you can hardly sight any use of wood hence the advantage to save trees The and conserve the environment.

Ugandan market embraced the idea especially the NGO’s and the British High Commission.

EnviroConserve: There is a boom in the construction industry in Uganda and the Great Lakes region in general.

How is Roofings Limited coping with the market demands?

Lalani: We are coping very well because our main strength is quality and reliability. We have done everything possible to make our business a one stop shopping centre for all your quality steel products.

EnviroConserve: You have been in business for more than a decade. Tell us about your community initiatives in respect to CSR activities?

Lalani: We have been involved in a number of activities ranging from Health, Education, Sports, job creation, integrity and we value fairness especially to the disadvantaged. We pattern with organizations like the Red Cross, Uganda Society for the Disabled, The Kampala Kids League, Uganda

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TREE PROJECT Badminton Association , Health Initiatives for the Private Sector (HIPS), National Forestry Authority (NFA) ,National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) to mention but a few.

EnviroConserve: Finally, tell us more about your current production capacity, future plans and the company’s general contribution towards Uganda’s economy and the Great Lakes region as a whole?

EnviroConserve: In the recent past, you appeared in the press giving out seedlings to community leaders. Was this a one-off or, it is part of your CSER?

Lalani: Our commitment is to excel in our service quality and to strive to grow and attain a global presence.

Lalani: This is part of our CSR. We started a seedling project in 2003 where we have spent almost UShs 200 million to plant over one million trees. Our first phase of this project has seen us give away 10,000 plants (flowers, trees and fruits) for free to the community especially; schools, churches, our staff and others.

EnviroConserve: Roofings Limited’s products have got both the UNBS and Norwegian accreditation for good quality. Apart from the ISO 9001:2000, are there any other certifications for quality or CSER you recently acquired or are currently pursuing?

The company’s production capacity is at approximately 120,000 M tonnes today and our projection is to grow it to 200,000 M tonnes in a few years to come.

Our target is to expand our operations and encompass galvanizing and steel rolling by 2010. If this is achieved it will increase our capacity to create jobs and contribution in form of taxes to government. We are proud to be contributors towards the development of Uganda’s economy and the Great Lakes region at large.

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Lalani: We are continuously carrying out research in order to match international standards. Our quality standards have enabled us attain customer confidence in Uganda and the Great Lakes. This can be evidenced by the fact that we have been awarded the president’s export award as number one metal exporter four times consecutively for the years 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006.

������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������������������� EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

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Biotechnology

Bio law to improve research and Uganda has developed a new Biotechnology and Biodiversity policy. SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, Peter Wamboga-Mugirya spoke with the State Minister for Planning Jachan Omach , the Executive Secretary of the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST), Dr Peter Ndemere; one of Uganda’s leading biotechnology researchers, Dr Andrew Kiggundu and Mr Arthur Makara, Senior Science Officer at the UNCST who is in-charge of Bio-safety. Below are excerpts of their perspectives.

Question: Mr Omach give us a brief background to the formulation of the policy.

Hon.Omach: In the interest of strengthening Uganda’s capacity in science, technology and innovation (STI), the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, through an elaborate national consultative process, developed a National Biotechnology and Biosafety Policy (NaBBIO-P) that is aimed at guiding development and application of modern Biotechnology in Uganda, while at the same time ensuring safety in research and application of the technology for national development. This policy was endorsed by Cabinet on April 2, 2008.

Q: What is the rationale for this Biotech policy?

Well, I will look at the rationale in four major perspectives. First, the actual and potential benefits of biotechnology will augment government efforts to develop and modernize the economy in line with Uganda’s national planning framework. However, some aspects of biotechnology commonly known as modern Biotechnology have generated some technical and economic concerns like any other new technology, especially in regard to commercialization. This calls for an effective regulatory system, manned by competent Ugandans to keep a watchful eye on the advancement of this technology from within and outside the country. Such a regulatory system starts with the policy.

Secondly, modern biotechnology is regulated the world over. Uganda ratified the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1992 and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in November 2001.

The Cartagena protocol is aimed at regulating trans-boundary movement of GMOs and minimizing any perceived risks to human health and the environment. This protocol is the first

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legally binding international instrument on issues regarding products of modern Biotechnology.

O n e o f t h e key o b l i g a t i o n s t o t h e implementation of the protocol was to review existing policy and legal environment and determine the adequacy in regulation of modern biotechnology by the parties. In case of Uganda, the policy and legal review process revealed inadequacy of existing policies and laws to harness the potential benefits while at the same time addressing the perceived risks of biotechnology.

The consensus from this review process therefore, was that there is a strong need to put in place an explicit policy on Biotechnology and Biosafety as eventually realized this April 2008.

Third, the African Union (AU) has put in place the African Model Law on Biotechnology and Biosafety. It has also instituted a Panel of Experts in Biotechnology which is charged with the responsibility of advising the AU on matters regarding safe deployment of Biotechnology in development efforts.

Uganda, being a member of the AU is expected to adopt the recommendation of the AU and also domesticate the African Model law on Biosafety.

Lastly several countries in Africa and many others in Europe, North America and Asia have already embraced modern Biotechnology, while at the same time putting in place mechanisms for regulation of its products.

Such countries in Africa include neighbouring Kenya which adopted its Biotechnology Development Policy in October 2006, as well as Burkina Faso, Egypt and South Africa all of which have both National Biotechnology Policies and relevant legal instruments in place and a number of research and commercialization activities relating to Modern Biotechnology.

Q: Dr Ndemere, the minister has spoken of developments in Kenya a close neighbour to Uganda. What is the progress in terms of biotechnology

policies? Is there any collaboration between Uganda and Kenya in as far as biotechnology is concerned?

Dr. Ndemere: Yes, Kenya has developed her biotechnology industry much ahead of the rest of her East African Community (EAC) partners.

Kenya passed their National Biotechnology and Bio-safety Policy in 2006 and is wellahead in the formulation of their draft law on biotechnology. Currently, Kenya has GM maize and potatoes being researched on, under confined field trials, which it may soon move towards commercializing. The implication of this is that such crops may easily find their way into Uganda, hence the preparation we’ve made to formulate this policy. But also at the EAC level, the original three countries [Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania] have been talking to harmonize existing legal, institutional and policy frameworks on biotechnology and biosafety.

Even at bilateral level, the governments have been cooperating by facilitating exchange of policy and scientific experts and meetings to learn from each other. As of now, Uganda is at per with Kenya—policy-wise.

Q: Was the policy-formulation a consultative process in order to build consensus on the framework or was it vice-versa?

Ndemere: The policy-formulation was a long and tedious journey—it has taken us six years to have the policy approved by government. What we have now is the Bill on Biotechnology and Biosafety, which is before Cabinet.

Q: Honorable minister you sit in cabinet where the Biotech and Biosafety Bill currently is. But first of all, how much is Parliament involved in this biotechnology and biosafety debate; policy and legal-making process?

Hon. Omach: The August House is fully-

Biotechnology

productivity involved. Relevant committees have been consulted and effectively made their input over the years. Secondly, at the moment, MPs are engaged in discussions on the new Bill whose accompanying regulations are at the AttorneyGeneral’s chambers for fine-tuning.

Q: Dr Kiggundu, you’re the head of Uganda’s National Agricultural Biotechnology Centre (NABC) at the Kawanda-based National AgroResearch Laboratories (NARL).

Typically, you’re a research scientist practicing molecular biology or biotechnology. What is there for you in this policy?

Dr. Kiggundu: As research scientists, we’re very happy that finally government has acted positively to provide a conducive environment in which we shall carry out our work. But specifically, the science of Biotechnology, where recombinant DNA is used to identify genes needed in modifying a plant for better resistance against a pest or disease and for better productivity or further still for boosting the nutritional value in that nutrient-deficient plants, this policy legitimizes such research and offers official support and guidance for the development of this science. So we’re delighted that the Government of Uganda has given its approval to the policy, which places us at per with our colleagues in neighbouring countries engaged in biotechnology. The policy also provides guidelines to biosafety—the safe use or application of biotechnology.

Q: MrArthur Makara, how does the policy take care of interests of our biodiversity? As a plant scientist you’re in better position to explain.

Mr. Makara: This policy offers a lot of support towards the environmental biotechnology, such as conservation of our natural resources, particularly the ability to conduct plant-genetic characterization and the conservation of such genetic resources. With biotechnology, scientists are able to identify what plant biodiversity belongs to Uganda—even human

beings can be clearly identified via genetic characterization and placed where they belong.

In fact, in this era of invasive plant species, under biotechnology, there’s a modern practice called bar-coding, with which plant scientists can use a short strand of DNA or genome of a plant or animal, to classify it for taxonomical purposes at molecular level. Simply, in case of plants, we use leaves, pollen and even roots, for taxonomy at molecular, it becomes easy to separate or combine plants according to their family or specie classification, than using physical characterization which many times is deceptive.

Q: Dr Kiggundu, does biotechnology enable scientists to conserve what is available?

Kiggundu: Yes biotechnology enables us to do that. Through what we call in-situ and ex-situ conservation (that is in the field/gardens and in the laboratory/greenhouse, respectively) we’re able to conserve seeds of crops according to their genetic structure and category etc, and this becomes easy to identify their origin and uses and so forth. Also scientists are able to guide the general public to access genetic resources of their interest or choice.

Q: Hon Minister, how long do you think it will take before Uganda has a biotechnology and biosafety law in place?

Omach: When all the draft regulations currently with the Attorney-General’s chambers are finally out, I expect in the next three months or so Uganda will get a new legal framework for biotechnology and bio-safety via an Act of Parliament. I’m very optimistic that this is going to happen, because Uganda urgently needs to prepare herself with this law.

Q: Lastly, Dr Kiggundu, is Kawanda using biotech to conserve Uganda’s staple crop—the banana for instance?

and a trade commodity. If you travel around the world, you may not easily find it elsewhere, but typical around Uganda. Therefore, given the immense pressure from diseases, pests and environmental degradation, scientists at Kawanda have found biotechnology one of the most efficient means of protecting it from those diseases that threaten its existence and multiply its planting materials via biotechnology’s plant tissue culture. This technology is offering cleanplanting materials, which enables farmers to grow healthier and much more productive bananas from pg 33

As part of the efforts to implement the Montreal Protocol, the United Nations established a multilateral fund worth $1.5 billion in 1990 to assist developing countries to reduce their production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances.

According to the United Nations, all 189 Parties to the Montreal Protocol have permanently eliminated more than 1.5 million tonnes of annual production of chemicals that destroy the ozone layer.

This will go along way in reducing skin cancers, cataracts and other health threats which comes as a result of ozone depletion.

The United Nations’ efforts to preserve ozone layer have bore fruits as alternative ozonefriendly products are being manufactured in all the industrialized countries. Some developing countries such as India, China and Brazil have also followed suit and started to manufacture ozone friendly products.

To ensure fully implementation of the Montreal treat y, the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) initiated four assessment panels namely Scientific, Environmental, Technology and Economic.

One of the successes of the panels is the identification of at least 90 chemicals which should be phased out due to their impacts to the ozone layer.

Scientists warn that was it not for the protocol, ozone depletion would have risen by the year 2050 to at least 50 per cent in the northern hemisphere’s mid latitudes and 70 per cent in the southern mid latitudes, about

Kiggundu: Yes indeed. The banana we eat and cherish in Uganda can only be found here and is therefore most important to us as food, a culture EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

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Eco-tourism

Saving Kenya’s mangrove forests Afraid at the alarming rate at which mangrove trees are disappearing, a group of women is determined to help conserve the precious trees

By Henry Wahinya

A

determined group of women at Kenya’s coast has resolved not to let the precious mangrove trees disappear and has embarked on a rehabilitation project through which they are reaping benefits from the bold decision.

With support from the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) and The Kenya Tidal Forest Project, the women of Gazi are leaving nothing to chance in their efforts to protect and restore mangrove forests by establishing an ecotourism venture that profits from the value of the mangrove’s scenic beauty and biodiversity.

To save the allure of Gazi Bay, the women came up with The Gazi Women Mangrove Boardwalk project – an eco-tourism community development project.

The boardwalk provides a 300 metre -long relaxing walk through animal-rich mangrove forest. The walk is punctuated by cool resting points strategically located. In addition, the boardwalk contains a view point providing a panoramic view of the ‘bathing mangroves’.

On the walk, visitors spot the impressive bird life, the scurrying crabs of diverse colours, not to forget the jumping mud skippers. Visitors can also enjoy the nutrient- rich oysters, fresh from the oyster farms beside the boardwalk.

By boat, the boardwalk can be accessed from Chale Island or the adjacent Sea Horse resort. A canoe ride through the serene mangroves with local fishermen makes the whole experience unforgettable.

The project that is also run by Gazi Women as an alternative source of income enables visitors experience first hand the serenity of the mangrove fauna and flora the women have restored.

Visitors are encouraged to personally take part in the rehabilitation of a mangrove tree and take a canoe through mangrove creeks, make excursions to the coral reef and enjoy bird watching. Visitors experience a traditional

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EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

Mangroves in Kinondo Creek, Gazi Bay, Kenya

African village and a taste of local Swahili cuisine.

“By making that decision, the women had set out to measure the total economic value of the ecosystem goods and services produced by Kenya’s 60,000 hectare of mangrove forests.

They discovered that the economic value of shoreline protection alone outweighed the total value of all other uses,” says Dr Mark Huxham, a scientist linked to the mangrove project.

“It is an interesting example of the way in which economic valuation of ecosystem services can be effectively combined with communitybased initiatives,” Dr Huxham says. Located 50 kilometres south of Mombasa and about 15 minutes drive from Diani Beach, in Kwale district, Gazi Bay is one of the country’s most celebrated and studied mangrove bays in the world.

With a rich history behind it and convenient location, Gazi Bay has been able to attract global attention worldwide.

Gazi village has a unique and rich history. In the colonial periods ‘Gasi’ was Kwale District’s administrative centre.

It contains ruins that were once used as a concentration centre for slaves before being shipped to the Far East. The ruins were also used by Sheikh Mbaruk Bin Rashid as his residence.

Dr Huxham says mangrove forests are among the most productive wetland ecosystems on earth. These tropical coastal woodlands provide a crucial habitat, protect coral reefs from sedimentation, and, as demonstrated by the tsunami of 2004, play a critical role in protecting tropical coastlines.

“They are also one of the most threatened habitats. Historically, mangrove forests lined three-quarters of all tropical and subtropical coasts,” he says.

Dr Huxham says before, less than half of these forests had remained, and an estimated two percent more had been degraded every year for firewood, building materials, coastal

development, and industrial shrimp fisheries.

Gazi Bay had been under threat as a result of serious exploitation. Coastal mangrove forests provide essential ecosystem services, including protection from coastal erosion, filtration of water pollutants, provision of habitat for sea life, and sequestration of greenhouse gases and yet, threatened by overexploitation, conversion to other land uses and damage from pollutants.

Like in other parts of the coastal region, members of the local community depend on the mangrove for fishing, building poles and firewood, and for medicinal products; hence the need for rehabilitation, conservation, and sustainable utilization of mangroves.

Research conducted by Kenya Marine and Institute (KMFRI) says mangroves have been felled with little or no natural regeneration. The result has been severe erosion of the coastline due to complete elimination of the fringing mangroves.

KMFRI says good mangrove forests today can only be found in two areas of Kiunga in Kenya and in River Rufiji delta of Tanzania, but their conditions are also threatened.

Women participation was carried out under the umbrella Community Participatory Forestry for the Rehabilitation of Degraded Mangrove Forests Project spearheaded by James Kairo and Jared Bosire, both from KMFRI. The restored mangroves in Gazi, Mida, Tsunza and Wasini are surrounded by a population that depends to a large extend on the resources of the area.

Community participation played a big role in ensuring protection of the initiative. Dialogue with the local people was initiated in seeking their cooperation in protecting the plantations.

The goat keepers in villages agreed that they will not allow the animals to enter new plantations and graze. Instead they accepted to tie the animals until the trees had established. Others agreed to graze their animals elsewhere

EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008

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EnviroConserveAFRICA Aug/Oct 2008