NEMA embarks on massive Biodiversity Restoration Exercise.

BY SAMUEL NABWIISO.

NEMA-Mbale Regional Office in partnership with NFA-Moroto Range Office, Moroto District Local Government and local communities (including the indigenous Tepeth) have commenced on tree-planting Exercise  to restore the river  Lia water  catchment   area .

The exercise will result in the restoration of at least 10 hectares of Moroto Forest Reserve. A total of at least 7,000 trees will be planted in an area that constitutes a critical part of the catchment area that provides headwaters for the Lia stream.

Officials planting the tree's 

The stream is an important element in the makeup of the water resource base and natural drainage pattern of Moroto and the greater northeastern region in general. The catchment area was encroached on by encroachers for Agriculture related Activities

 Community Engagement during the Exercise  

In related development the Environment protection agency for Uganda has also embarked on the restoration of Oliduru Central Forest Reserve in Ogwet Sub county inOtuke District. The restoration comes at atime when the forests trees were almost cut down due to the high demand for wood related products such as charcoal and timber for construction purposes.

To ensure that the forest is restored, NEMA in collaboration with National Forest Authority in collaboration with the Ngetta   Agriculture Research Institute and the Otuke Local Government will plant over 15000 Shea nuts seedlings in the bare parts of the forest reserve covering up to 222 hectares of land.

 Francis  Ogwal the  NEMA,s Natural Resources  manager in charge of  Biodiversity and Rangelands  said that restoring the Country’s, degraded Biodiversity is critical towards mitigating  the Impacts that  are associated  Biodiversity destruction such as floods  and the accumulation of greenhouse gasses  in the atmosphere.  

UN, Environment& Faith Organization to host Climate Emergency Conference.

.BY SAMUEL NABWIISO

United  Nations Environment Program( UNEP)  is to host a two days International UN Environment’s Faith for Earth Initiative conference as part of the commemoration of the fourth Anniversary of the  Laudato Si', the second encyclical of Pope Francis, specifically on the environment.

The conference is being organized by UN Environment’s Faith for Earth Initiative—along with partners including the Catholic Youth Network for Environmental Sustainability in Africa, the World Wildlife Fund, and the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and it will take place at the UN Environment Head offices in Nairobi Kenya.

The 15-16July conference will focus on climate emergency and ecosystems restoration to spur governments and young people to heed the calls of many indigenous peoples for better global stewardship of the environment.

Cardinal Peter Turkson  will be the main speaker at the Conference 

On many occasions the Catholic Church headed by   Pope Francis has already warned about the dangers of global heating. Thus the only way to combat it is through the collaboration between the faith based organizations like the Catholic Church working closely with Environment Organizations   like UN Environment to come up with solution to mitigate climate change.

Commenting on the upcoming Conference, Charles McNeill, Senior Policy Advisor on Forests and Climate, UN Environment says youth are key in combating climate change but on many occasions have been left out to participate in decision making that is why the organization has brought them on board as strong shareholders in the fight against climate change.

“Youth will be the foundation of any faith-based movement to end tropical deforestation, and we welcome this conference as an opportunity to deepen and expand commitment across faiths and sectors. “He said in Press statement.

 The Faith for Earth Initiative is also working with faith-based investment institutions to help them make the switch from carbon-based investments towards more sustainable energy and other investments. Speakers at the conference will be led by Cardinal Peter Turkson  a Ghanaian  who will provide a scientific perspective on the current state of the world and stress the importance of youth engagement.

According to the statement, the conference will address urgent needs and opportunities in Africa and showcase best practices across the continent and the role of youth leadership and innovation.

Commenting on the perspective on the catholic youth the Executive Director of the Catholic Youth Network for Environmental Sustainability in Africa Allen Attaro says  “Africa’s youth feel the urgent responsibility to ensure their communities, countries and the continent act as frontrunners for a safe, sustainable and productive future for them and for future generations,”

                

Enact Environment Ordinance on Tree planting to save Environment Government tells Local Govt

BY SAMUEL NABWIISO

Local Government across the country have been told to come up with ordinances  on tree planting as one of the mechanism to protect the Environment which is under threat  thus exposing the country to the consequences of Climate change.

While presenting the UGX40.5 trillion Budget for the financial year 2019/2020 Speech at Serena Hotel the Minister of Finance Planning and Economic Development Matia Kasaija said The Country has lost hectares of its Environment through Destruction of Wetlands, depletion of Forest cover both under the central management and private one but his comes with great Impact on the people livelihood thus the need to protect the Environment at grass root level.

Uganda,s Minister for Finance Matia Kasaijja 

“The destruction of Wetlands  adversely Impacts  the welfare of our  people in the many ways such as water shortage  or no water  at all  for domestic use  and production  increased temperature  and severe  long droughts , over flooding among other key impacts. It’s on this back ground that Reforestation and Restoration of wetlands must be under taken as a matter of urgency” The Minister Directed to the concerns Agencies.

He added by explaining that  the destruction of  wetlands and  forest covers  will be penalized  through  the enforcement of  environmental  Laws  and regulations  thus local governments must  enact  and enforce  ordinances  on tree planting   efficient  waste management  and wetlands conservation.

Other strategies that should be Implemented to save the country’s, Biodiversity include the ban  on use of harmful  materials  such as  environmentally destructive  polythene  bags among other non-degradable materials which are highly used by the general Public

    

World Environment Day, the World focused on Air Pollution which is becoming a, Health threat

BY SAMUEL NABWIISO

Governments, industry, communities and individuals around the world today commemorated World Environment Day, the United Nations’ biggest annual event for positive environmental action, encouraging worldwide awareness and commitment to protect our planet.

This year’s celebrations, held under the theme ‘Beat Air Pollution’, called upon people to explore renewable energy and green technologies, and improve air quality in cities and regions across the world. More than 6 billion people – one-third of them children – regularly breathe air that is so polluted it puts their health and well-being at risk.

Polluted city like this one creates Health risks to the Occupants 

Spearheaded by China, the official host of the global World Environment Day celebrations, UN Environment’s campaign to #BeatAirPollution culminated into a record number of registered events and commitments.

“Protecting our blue skies may be difficult, but our future relies on it,” Joyce Msuya, acting Executive Director of UN Environment, said during the global celebrations in Hangzhou.

She added by saying  “And they are our blue skies. It doesn’t matter if you’re in Beijing or Beirut, when we look up we see the same sky. And I think when we look to China, we see many examples of how to protect it.”

Over the past decade, the Chinese government has taken drastic measures to limit air pollution in its biggest cities, bringing back blue skies in Beijing, Shanghai and other megacities, benefitting the health of millions.

By implementing far-reaching measures at the national- and state-level government, such as 100 per cent electric public transportation, curtailing outputs from factories and allocating more than US$10 billion to address air quality, several cities saw the concentration of PM 2.5 drop dramatically.

The President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, conveyed his congratulations on the occasion of World Environment Day, saying, 

“Humankind only has one planet. Environmental conservation and sustainable development are the common responsibility of all countries. Ecological civilization is built into China’s national development architecture and strategy. China will work with any and all to implement the 2030 agenda to protect our only planet.”

Pollinators under threat from Human Activities.

BY SAMUEL  NABWIISO

Anew report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services report has revealed that Bees and other pollinators, such as butterflies, bats and hummingbirds, are increasingly under threat from human activities.

The report points out massive usage of Agricultural pesticide, Air Pollution from the Industries and other Human activities as the big treat to the existence of the vital Insects globally.The report urges the UN Member states to ensure that their national practices Environmentally friend Agriculture practices if the Pollinators are to be protected from the dangers associated with Human Activities   on the Biodiversity  Ecosystem.

“Increasing crop and regional farm diversity as well as targeted habitat conservation, management or restoration, is one way of combating climate change and promoting biodiversity,” says UN Environment biodiversity specialist Marieta Sakalian.

Bee visting  Sunflower such actions for the pollinators are key nin  food production 

In the report, Air pollution is also thought to be affecting bees. Preliminary research shows that air pollutants interact with scent molecules released by plants which bees need to locate food. The mixed signals interfere with the bee’s ability to forage, making them slower and less effective at pollination.

 Why pollinators should be protected from all dangerous chemicals?Pollinators contribute directly to food security. Nearly three quarters of the plants that produce 90 per cent of the world’s food require this external help. And according to bee experts at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, a third of the world’s food production depends on bees.

Bees are renowned for their role in providing high-quality food—honey, royal jelly and pollen—and other products such as beeswax, propolis and honey bee venom.

They are also part of the biodiversity on which we all depend for our survival. “Sacred passages about bees in all the worlds’ major religions highlight their significance to human societies over millennia,” says a May 2019 report by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).Bee keeping provides an important source of income for many rural livelihoods.

Tanzania Bans Buvera

Speed up GMO crop commercialization, Ghanaian farmers ask Government

BY Environment News Uganda   Correspondent.

Farmers in northern Ghana are calling on their government to speed up the commercialization of genetically modified (GM) crops in the country.

During a media briefing in Tamale, representatives of farmer groups under the coalition of Concerned Farmers of the Northern Region expressed their concern about the continuous decline of cotton and cowpea production in that part of the country.

Good Harvest , farmers in Ghana believes that once they commence farming Bt cotton their harvest will also Improve 

Farmers  attribute such decline to repeated pest attacks and are confident that GM crops will help them deal with such problems. The coalition includes the Northern Farmers Association, Juni Farmers Association, Northern Livestock Farmers Association, and the Northern Out growers  and Business Association.

The coalition has released a press statement delivered by conveners Ibrahim Alhassan of the Juni Farmers Association and Nasiru Adams of the Northern Farmers Association. In their statement, the farmers said that "biotechnology as a scientific tool is not a killer, but one that is used to modify seeds genetically for our good.

 It provides efficient solutions, to the problems we the farmers of Ghana face in our daily operations in crop and other production activities.

"To the government of Ghana, we say act now and facilitate the commercialization of GM variety seeds especially cowpea and rice. Let the farmers have the GM variety alongside the conventional seeds, we are simply demanding for our right of choice." Farmers said in Statement