The Future of Smallholder Farming in Eastern Africa - Uganda ...

Source: National Wetlands Conservation and Management Programme (1999)
2.3 Wetlands Regulation in Uganda - The Legal Context
Wetlands (including swamps, marshes, lakes, rivers, estuaries, and bogs) are among the richest of
natural habitats in terms of biodiversity. Half the world’s wetlands are estimated to have been
lost in the 20 th century, mostly in the developed world. While urban and infrastructure
development, malaria control, and recreational use have been important reasons for wetland
conversion, agricultural use has been the leading culprit. Wetlands drainage and changes in the
water regime resulting from agricultural use have a serious impact on the species that require
particular characteristics of water chemistry, temperature, and flow patterns for their survival
(Revenga et al. 2000).
While most developed countries have now established controls on wetland drainage, and some
have even initiated wetland habitat restoration, in many developing countries conversion of
wetlands is still considered an important safety valve to relieve agricultural land scarcity. Until
recently in Uganda, drainage of swamps for agricultural purposes was encouraged.
Approximately 1,620 ha had been drained by 1964. NEMA estimates that the total wetland area
reclaimed for agriculture is currently about 3,000ha.
Uganda justifiably boasts of being the second country world-wide to have a Wetlands Policy and
the only country to have a government institution dedicated to wetland management. This
distinction makes Uganda an example for developing nations wishing to conserve their wetland
resources through policy development. The issue of wetlands conservation first gained attention
on the political scene in 1986 when the NRM Government banned large-scale drainage of
wetlands until a National Wetlands Policy could be put in place. The National Wetlands
Conservation and Management Programme was established in 1989, with technical assistance
from the World Conservation Union (IUCN), based in the Department of Environment
Protection. The National Policy for the Conservation and Management of Wetland Resources
(1994) was quickly followed by the National Environment Management Statute in 1995.