Save Bugoma Forest Campaign 2020
Donation protected
On behalf of Save Bugoma Forest Campaign, I appeal to support us and to help stopping the ongoing destruction of Bugoma Forest chimpanzee sanctuary in Uganda.
Objectives of the campaign
1.To stop the destruction of Bugoma Forest chimpanzee sanctuary for sugar cane growing and timber business.
2. To reclaim the natural forest lost and enhance its legal protection.
3. To boycott Hoima Sugar LTD, a very unscrupulous agent of environmental devastation.
The problem of Bugoma Forest
Bugoma Forest is a government Central Forest Reserve in Kikuube District, Uganda. With 41.144 hectares or 411 square kilometers of protected area, is the largest remaining block of natural tropical forest along the Albertine Rift Valley alongside Lake Albert and one of the most important for biodiversity. Bugoma is a chimpanzee sanctuary as it is home to about 500 chimpanzees; it also hosts other primates like the endemic Ugandan mangabey. The bird list is of 221 species recorded making it a birding sanctuary.
However, huge threats are challenging the existence of the forest since 2016. Private investors in sugar cane, Hoima Sugar LTD and MZ Agencies, backed with political support have first claimed big portions of the protected reserve, then from August 2020 started to convert the forest into sugar cane plantation after having harvested the timber.
On 1st August 2016 a land title was issued by Uganda Land Commission (Ministry of Lands) in the name of Omukama (king) of Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom (which is a local cultural institution) and, subsequently, the king issued a lease to Hoima Sugar Limited. The land title is entirely comprised in the forest reserve, being the Muhangaizima sector for 5579 hectares or about 55 square kilometers. The National Forestry Authority or NFA (the State agency managing Bugoma Forest) took Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom and Hoima Sugar to Court in Masindi over this illegal title, but the final ruling issued on 25th April 2019 saw the victory of Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom and Hoima Sugar LTD, that obtained recognition of their legal ownership of part of Bugoma Forest. On August 14th 2020 Hoima Sugar Ltd obtained the Certificate of Approval from National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) after the process of an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) was conducted, and this paved the way for the destruction of 22 square miles of Bugoma Forest that started in August 2020.
The illegal title in the forest reserve to Hoima Sugar is still up for cancellation by February 2021, but the forest is under clearing.
The Hoima Sugar case is not the only one. MZ Agencies LTD (by businessman Mustapha Zaid) on 20th September 2018 was issued a land title by Uganda Land Commission (Ministry of Lands) over an area of approximately 925 hectares of natural forest. Again a case was opened by MZ Agencies against National Forestry Authority (NFA) where the authority is accused of expropriating MZ Agencies of the land they believe to own in the forest reserve. On March 10, 2020, MZ Agencies obtained a favorable court order to chase away National Forestry Authority and UPDF soldiers that were guarding Bugoma Forest. On May 14, 2020, all security personnel left and MZ Agencies sent a number of people starting to clear the forest. Currently MZ Agencies are clearing Bugoma Forest.
Backward politics linked to economic interests in the sugar cane and timber business made this situation possible. In 2020 when the whole world was suffering because of the loss of the environment and the causes of pandemics, in Uganda there were still people who believed that their selfish interests are superior to the protection of a State reserve.
Why Bugoma Forest should be protected:
1.Bugoma is a State forest reserve of huge biodiversity importance and the process of clearance should first pass via a Parliamentary act of degazzetment, which did not happen.
2.It is already well known in Uganda that sugar cane cannot bring development and its economic value cannot by far meet the value of an ancient pristine natural tropical forest. The case of Mukono in Uganda is a clear example of poverty created by sugar cane development for local farmers; the price for sugar cane is on the constant decrease due to very limited market with excess production.
3.Clearance of a prime tropical forest reserve is contravening the following Sustainable Development Goals to which Uganda works under United Nation framework: goal 6 to protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes as Bugoma is a water catchment and commercial sugar cane plantation will pollute and destroy water sources; goal 13 to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts whereby it is paramount to protect forests as a climate stabilizer; and goal 15 to protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Actions and fundraising: we can do something
The coalition Save Bugoma Forest Campaign 2020 was launched on 26th June 2020 by a number of civil society organizations in Uganda, in the fields of environment, the tourism sector, advocacy and human rights.
The campaign is aiming at halting the destruction of Bugoma Forest, reclaiming the forest cover lost and to block Hoima Sugar in pursuing its objective of environmental devastation.
A number of strategies were put in place and they are currently under implementation to change the current situation. The strategies involve the following areas of activities:
1. Legal actions to counter act all the negative results of legal cases that affected the existence of Bugoma Forest;
2. Advocacy actions by engaging all relevant stakeholders having a responsibility over the conservation of Bugoma Forest and by engaging in all those activities which helps raising visibility over the case of Bugoma Forest in the public.
The total amount of resources needed for the campaign is 92,200,000 Uganda shilling equal to 25,300 US Dollars. So far in all these months the campaign was able to carry out a lot of the proposed work thanks to internal resources; however, this is a global cause and we need resources to achieve the target.
80% of the donations will be used for the support of legal teams that are already handling legal matters concerning the certificate of NEMA, the illegal titles in forest reserve, the restoration of governance over Bugoma Forest.
20% of the donations will cover costs of organizing engagement with stakeholders in different locations, the involvement of media, the involvement of local communities.
Donations will be handled through Costantino Tessarin, chairperson of the umbrella organization of Association for the Conservation of Bugoma Forest (ACBF) on behalf of the Save Bugoma Forest Campaign.
Your donation will save Bugoma Forest.
Objectives of the campaign
1.To stop the destruction of Bugoma Forest chimpanzee sanctuary for sugar cane growing and timber business.
2. To reclaim the natural forest lost and enhance its legal protection.
3. To boycott Hoima Sugar LTD, a very unscrupulous agent of environmental devastation.
The problem of Bugoma Forest
Bugoma Forest is a government Central Forest Reserve in Kikuube District, Uganda. With 41.144 hectares or 411 square kilometers of protected area, is the largest remaining block of natural tropical forest along the Albertine Rift Valley alongside Lake Albert and one of the most important for biodiversity. Bugoma is a chimpanzee sanctuary as it is home to about 500 chimpanzees; it also hosts other primates like the endemic Ugandan mangabey. The bird list is of 221 species recorded making it a birding sanctuary.
However, huge threats are challenging the existence of the forest since 2016. Private investors in sugar cane, Hoima Sugar LTD and MZ Agencies, backed with political support have first claimed big portions of the protected reserve, then from August 2020 started to convert the forest into sugar cane plantation after having harvested the timber.
On 1st August 2016 a land title was issued by Uganda Land Commission (Ministry of Lands) in the name of Omukama (king) of Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom (which is a local cultural institution) and, subsequently, the king issued a lease to Hoima Sugar Limited. The land title is entirely comprised in the forest reserve, being the Muhangaizima sector for 5579 hectares or about 55 square kilometers. The National Forestry Authority or NFA (the State agency managing Bugoma Forest) took Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom and Hoima Sugar to Court in Masindi over this illegal title, but the final ruling issued on 25th April 2019 saw the victory of Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom and Hoima Sugar LTD, that obtained recognition of their legal ownership of part of Bugoma Forest. On August 14th 2020 Hoima Sugar Ltd obtained the Certificate of Approval from National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) after the process of an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) was conducted, and this paved the way for the destruction of 22 square miles of Bugoma Forest that started in August 2020.
The illegal title in the forest reserve to Hoima Sugar is still up for cancellation by February 2021, but the forest is under clearing.
The Hoima Sugar case is not the only one. MZ Agencies LTD (by businessman Mustapha Zaid) on 20th September 2018 was issued a land title by Uganda Land Commission (Ministry of Lands) over an area of approximately 925 hectares of natural forest. Again a case was opened by MZ Agencies against National Forestry Authority (NFA) where the authority is accused of expropriating MZ Agencies of the land they believe to own in the forest reserve. On March 10, 2020, MZ Agencies obtained a favorable court order to chase away National Forestry Authority and UPDF soldiers that were guarding Bugoma Forest. On May 14, 2020, all security personnel left and MZ Agencies sent a number of people starting to clear the forest. Currently MZ Agencies are clearing Bugoma Forest.
Backward politics linked to economic interests in the sugar cane and timber business made this situation possible. In 2020 when the whole world was suffering because of the loss of the environment and the causes of pandemics, in Uganda there were still people who believed that their selfish interests are superior to the protection of a State reserve.
Why Bugoma Forest should be protected:
1.Bugoma is a State forest reserve of huge biodiversity importance and the process of clearance should first pass via a Parliamentary act of degazzetment, which did not happen.
2.It is already well known in Uganda that sugar cane cannot bring development and its economic value cannot by far meet the value of an ancient pristine natural tropical forest. The case of Mukono in Uganda is a clear example of poverty created by sugar cane development for local farmers; the price for sugar cane is on the constant decrease due to very limited market with excess production.
3.Clearance of a prime tropical forest reserve is contravening the following Sustainable Development Goals to which Uganda works under United Nation framework: goal 6 to protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes as Bugoma is a water catchment and commercial sugar cane plantation will pollute and destroy water sources; goal 13 to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts whereby it is paramount to protect forests as a climate stabilizer; and goal 15 to protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Actions and fundraising: we can do something
The coalition Save Bugoma Forest Campaign 2020 was launched on 26th June 2020 by a number of civil society organizations in Uganda, in the fields of environment, the tourism sector, advocacy and human rights.
The campaign is aiming at halting the destruction of Bugoma Forest, reclaiming the forest cover lost and to block Hoima Sugar in pursuing its objective of environmental devastation.
A number of strategies were put in place and they are currently under implementation to change the current situation. The strategies involve the following areas of activities:
1. Legal actions to counter act all the negative results of legal cases that affected the existence of Bugoma Forest;
2. Advocacy actions by engaging all relevant stakeholders having a responsibility over the conservation of Bugoma Forest and by engaging in all those activities which helps raising visibility over the case of Bugoma Forest in the public.
The total amount of resources needed for the campaign is 92,200,000 Uganda shilling equal to 25,300 US Dollars. So far in all these months the campaign was able to carry out a lot of the proposed work thanks to internal resources; however, this is a global cause and we need resources to achieve the target.
80% of the donations will be used for the support of legal teams that are already handling legal matters concerning the certificate of NEMA, the illegal titles in forest reserve, the restoration of governance over Bugoma Forest.
20% of the donations will cover costs of organizing engagement with stakeholders in different locations, the involvement of media, the involvement of local communities.
Donations will be handled through Costantino Tessarin, chairperson of the umbrella organization of Association for the Conservation of Bugoma Forest (ACBF) on behalf of the Save Bugoma Forest Campaign.
Your donation will save Bugoma Forest.
Organizer
Costantino Tessarin
Organizer
