The Uganda Atlas

District State of Environment Report Kisoro (2008)

Lake Mutanda: Heavily converted Gitundwe wetland in Nyundo and Nyakabande sub countries (2008)

Lake Mutanda heavily converted Gitundwe wetland in Nyundo and Ny Source DSOER Kisoro 2008

lake catchments and the rest of the highland region in a desperate state, with conservation structures on farmlands and hillslopes in general disintegration from hyper- accelerated erosion (Bagoora, 1993). In the areas surrounding Lake Bunyonyi and Mutanda, the population is estimated to be beyond 350 persons/km 2 making it one of the world’s most densely populated rural areas; with projections of continued high growth rates of more than 3% per annum, which does not in any way point to a rosy future. Landuse is dominated by peasant farming based on annual crops dominated by sorghum, potatoes and legumes, which leads to disturbance of the soil continuously and provide poor cover and protection to soil from erosion. Although soil loss from these slopes has not yet been properly quantified, it could be within the magnitude of 155 tons/ha/year on

This emphasizes the local, regional and international importance of lakes Bunyonyi and Mutanda and, their catchments and the various wetland systems fringing these water systems, as one whole ecosystem whose degradation will have serious on-site and off-site implications. Environmental Change and effects Population pressure on land and poor land management practices have led to clearance of every bit of vegetation cover in the lake catchments leading to grave accelerated erosion. In the past, efforts were made by Government to institute and enforce soil and water conservation measures, and by 1950s this region was graded to attained soil and water conservation standards, particularly bunding and terracing on farmlands, easily unsurpassed anywhere else in Africa. However, the ever mounting challenges of rapid population growth coupled with later relaxation in enforcement of conservation measures has left the

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