The National Dialogue on the Wetlands

Join For Water, with the partners; Joint Effort to Save the Environment-JESE, Natural Resources Defense Initiative-NRDI, Kyaninga Forest Foundation-KFF together with the Ministry of Water and Environment, organized a National Dialogue on Wetlands in Uganda under the theme “Solutions to the Wetland crisis in Uganda. Stakeholders’ perspective in Uganda”

The main objective of the dialogue was to generate stakeholders’ insights and harmonize ongoing strategic interventions related to wetlands management. The key stakeholders at the National level serve as a crucial opportunity to shed light on environmental threats, advocate for sustainable land use practices, and promote the conservation and preservation of the wetlands for future generations.

The dialogue was attended by stakeholders including; The Ministry of Water and Environment, Parliamentary Commission, Makerere University, AID Environment, Albertian Zonal Water Management, NEMA, Ministry of Water and Environment-Wetlands department, District LG-NRD/DEC, Media, Belgium Embassy, Representative from the Danish Embassy, Religious and cultural Institutions, The Resident City Commissioner, Fort Portal City, Environmental Alert, Water for People, GIZ among others.

The keynote Speaker Mr. Mugabi Stephen David, noted that wetlands are very essential ecosystem that provides both social and economic livelihood. He advocated for the need to train the lo cal government officers to understand the instruments in place to protect the wetlands from degradation.

“Despite the efforts put in to restore wetlands in Uganda, they are still being destroyed due to human activities. This is a reminder to us that all is not well and we need to do all it takes to address the challenges.”  Said Mr. Mugabi Stephen David, the Ag. Director MWE.

He further echoed the need to know the right stakeholders and their roles before engaging them. “Before we take solutions, let’s know the stakeholders and their role. If we want to manage the wetlands crisis, let us bring on board all the stakeholders like; the Community-Based organizations, Communities, media, Advocacy groups, and development partners including the international partners among others, because they carry different responsibilities. We need to ensure that all stakeholders are mapped out, informed, and held responsible to protect and conserve the environment.

He called upon the NGOs to advocate for sustainable land use to protect wetlands and other natural resources. Encourage people to utilize the wetlands without destroying them. Once we play our role, our wetlands will be protected.

He emphasized the need to have conservations on sustainable land use planning and implement integrated plans that promote climate resilience agriculture. Promote eco-tourism development to protect wetlands while generating income. Tasked the research institutions to continuously avail information on wetlands to create awareness.

There is a need to strengthen the existing laws and regulations. Let’s look at community engagement and education. Unless we educate the communities, we will not achieve our objective.

He made the following recommendations; Strengthen the National wetlands policy; Conduct regular wetlands assessments; Develop community-led wetlands plans; Develop eco-tourism guidelines for the interventions; and Enhance stakeholder engagement and collaboration.

“Together we can address the wetlands crisis by having the right stakeholders.” He concluded

The one-day National Dialogue that involved panel discussions on; How responsive are our wetland laws and policies to the emerging population/ land pressure and climate crisis had representatives of the Uganda Parliamentarians- Land Management Forum, National Environment Management Authority-NEMA, ENR-CSO Network representative, and Chairperson Uganda Local Government Association.

While the second panel discussion was on “What is the future of wetland management in Uganda and implications for the attainment of NDPIV with panelists from the National Planning Authority, Assistant Commissioner Wetlands department, Youth representative, and private sector representative- Nile Breweries Limited-UBL who recommended the following; The need for mindset change among the population. Coordinating the policies across the line ministries and departments is necessary. Demarcated and boundaries set. Consider a Private-Public partnership to look at wetlands as a source of income and not destroy them. Think of how to continue dialoguing with the different stakeholders. We need to consider young people and what they resonate with when planning and ensure that our planning relates well to local issues.

“We should join for water to change for water.” This was a call to action made by the representatives of the Uganda Parliamentarians- Land Management Forum.

The participants committed to doing the following; Prioritization of budget allocation towards wetlands inventories across the country, Strengthening inter-sectoral coordination, and Intensifying enforcement of the laws and regulations.