Environmental Activists wants government to incorporate the
rights of Nature in the new proposed National Environment Bill/ Act that is
when the country’s nature/ environment will be protected against encroaches.
The activists urge that although Uganda has many Environmental
Acts / regulations, the regulations have just fueled environmental destruction in
the country instead of protecting the country’s nature.
The call to come up
with Rights of Nature was sounded by the coordinator Advocates For Natural Resources and Development (ANARDE) Frank Tumusiime during meeting with Members of Parliament from the Natural
resources committee in the parliament of
Uganda.
 |
| Frank Tumusiime(Left) Interacting with MPs after the meeting |
“The current legal
frame work has failed to regulate the environment the various legislation has seen the
worst degradation of the country’s Environment because the laws focus on licensing people to utilize nature
but it does not allow nature to degenerate” He explained
.
ANARDE is non for profit Organization that advocates for
advocacy for good environmental governance, corporate and government
accountability among other duties.
He explained that
giving nature legal rights
means the Law can see nature as a legal person thus
creating rights that can
then be enforced. He noted that
some countries have enacted Rights of Nature and that has helped such countries
to protect Nature from destruction.
Uganda is not the only country advocating for the Rights of Nature,
Country’s such as Argentina, Belize Mexico have adopted the Rights of Nature in
their Constitutions
What is Rights of Nature? Rights of Nature are the holistic
recognition that all life, all ecosystems on our planet are deeply intertwined.
Rather than treating nature as property under the law, rights of nature
acknowledges that nature in all its life forms has the right to exist, persist,
maintain and regenerate its vital cycles.
The justification
for Rights of Nature
in the National Environment Act is based on the current development which
has seen the country’s nature being destroyed at high rate and this has
caused many social and economic challenges to Uganda as a
country.
.
According to researches
Uganda, s forest cover shrunk from 4.9 million hectares (24% total land area)
in1990 t0 1.8 million hectares (9% of total land area) in2015 and by 2055 Uganda
will have no forest left.
Uganda has many environmental legal Instruments such as
the National Environment Act 1995, National
Forestry and Tree Planting Act, 2003, among other regulations the Importance of
such Acts is to ensure that the Country s Environment is not degraded by human Activities
but on the surprise side of it the Country’s Nature are getting degraded at
high rate.
Apart from depletion the country, forest cover, the country’s
water bodies have been contaminated especially Lake Victoria its contamination has
an Impact to the country’s Economy because it affects the Aquatic lives (Fish)
and other animals that depends on water for survival including human being’s.
“It’s right time to recognize
Right of Nature because the country has stated experiencing the Impacts for Injuring nature which is manifesting its self-inform
of floods extreme heat being experienced
in most parts of the country and other associated
calamites are the reason for the rights of Nature to be included to the National Environmental
Act “He said.
Commenting on the demand from Environmental Activists, the
Vice chairperson of the Natural resources committee Lawrence Songa, said the
country need to strengthen the Environmental related Acts, in place that is how
the country’s nature will be protected.
“We should stop treating nature as property as Members of Parliament on the committee we shall look
into the demand from the Environmentalist s and see if it can be incorporated in
the Environmental Bill which is in the house if their demand meets the desire from
the house then we shall incorporate it into the Bill” He said.
 |
| MP Songa stressing point during the meeting |
Tororo Municipality Member of Parliament who is also member
of the committee Hon Yeri Ofwono Apollo advised the Environmentalists to work with Government agencies to ensure that
the existing Laws are implemented by government.
“Yes our Nature is being destroyed but who is to blame
Uganda should borrow leaf from Kenya where communities and regional Governments
comes up with Bylaws to protect Environment” he said.
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