Tropical Rain Forest Shrinks Sharply in Uganda
COPYRIGHT 2001 XINHUA NEWS AGENCY
September 3, 2001
KAMPALA, September 3 - Uganda's tropical rain forest has shrunk by about 50 percent in the past 20 years, according to a government report available here on Monday.
The forest cover in the east African country has decreased from 10.8 million hectares in 1980 to 5 million hectares currently, said the report issued by the Uganda Ministry of Water, Lands and Environment. The ministry warned that the forest in Uganda outside of the protected areas is likely to disappear in the next 20 years unless more active tree planting takes place.
The sharp decrease was attributed to a high rate of exploitation and clearance of forests.
The report also blames poverty as the main cause and consequence of environmental degradation and resource depletion.
The Uganda National Household Budget Survey (1999-2000) indicates that the dependence of poor rural households on fuel wood as a source of energy is well above 80 percent in the country.
The combined percentage of firewood and charcoal usage stands at 98 percent while other types of fuel for cooking account for only 2 percent overall.