Vote only Leaders with Biodiversity conservation face

BY SAMUEL NABWIISO

As Ugandan prepare to elect new leaders comes to 2021 we should be wise to elect only leaders who have Biodiversity Conservationists face.

The current regime of leaders has been disaster to the Country's Biodiversity, some have been bribed by the so called Investors such that they can set up investments in protected lands such as wetlands, the good case is the Sugar cane growing in Most parts of Busoga region this has not only destroyed the Environment but also has escalated the level of poverty and Environmental related disaster s such floods.

Other kind of Corruption has been manifested in the giving away of the Central forest reserve's to Investors scenario that has fueled Environmental Refugees in the country. The current regime leaders starting from the top to local governments failed to ensure that the ordinary person gets access to cheap source of  energy  when you look at the cost of Electricity in the country power is still expensive despite the fact that the country has invested a lot of money in the Construction of both min and large power dams.

 

 The high cost of power in the country has forced the tax payers to continue using bio-masses which is not environmentally friendly  majority of the citizens ends up cutting down trees for charcoal which is considered as the Major source of energy in most urban towns in the Country and this comes with big impacts especilly on the health of the people.

Over depending on biomass's as source of Energy also has health implications because it exposes the tax payers to respiratory related diseases this greatly affects the children and their mothers. Thus having leaders that have the face of Environmental conservation will help us to protect our Country's Biodiversity,through advocating for policies that are Environmentally friendly.

Samuel Nabwiiso

 Protecting our Environment has both social and Economic assets for our Our country because it helps in the mitigation of climate change, reduces the incidences of flooding which has claimed lives of thousand Ugandans especially in the mountainous regions that's to say Bugisu and Mountainous regions of  Rwenzori regions respectively.

 

 The economic impacts of these floods has been on two aspects, on the Government side and social impacts , on the government , government has spent a lot of money in the process of dislocating the Environmental refuges and also the loss of assets by the victims especially their crops and Animals that on most occasion have been destroyed and killed because of the floods.

 On the aspects of social impacts the destruction of the biodiversity has led to the separation of communities the good example are the victims of the Bududa floods incidences ,some of the victims we're forced to go to Kenya others are in Bunyoro region (Kiryandongo) where the Government settled them but this has socially  impacted  those communities.

Bududa Victims being relocated after the mudslide 

 It's on that back ground that voters, vote only leaders that Will Ensure that our Environment is used in sustainable manners. The current regime whose terms in office which is ending in  the early 2021 have done less when it comes to sensitizing the local communities to protect Nature, the civil Society's organization tried to play their role through carrying out Advocacy but this has not yielded big achievement because of the limited participation of  both local government leaders and those at the Top. 

Nabwiiso Samuel is an Environment Journalist

 He can be reached on 0752808923 Email. nabwiisoug@gmail.com