July 8, 2010
By Frederick Womakuyu, reported in The New Vision, and reprinted in allAfrica.com
7 July 2010
Kampala — Uganda’s population hit the 33 million mark in 2010. National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) warns that the country’s environment is in danger as much of its forest cover and wetlands could soon disappear.
The dramatic reduction of the forest cover in Kibaale district perhaps demonstrates the impact the high population is having on nature.
In 1990, Kibaale had about 114,000 hectares of forest cover with a population of about 220,300 people. But by 2005, its forest cover had fallen to about 58,300 hectares with a population of about 413,000 people due to migration.
The Uganda Bureau of Statistics warns that if the population growth of Kibaale remains unchecked in the next 10-15 years, the forest cover in Kibaale will be reduced to 2,433 hectares. Read more.
Tagged: Africa, Charcoal, Crisis, Environment, Human development, News, Policy, Poverty, Stats