The Uganda Atlas

Forests

NEMA 2009

An early morning ride through a cool and refreshing Mabira (natural) forest along the Kampala-Jinja Highway (2008)

F orest resources in Uganda comprise of both plantations comprise both pines and hardwoods. Forests and woodlands cover approximately 4.9 million hectares which is approximately 20% of the total country area. Of these, 924,000 ha are tropical high forests, 3,974,102 ha are woodlands while 35,066 ha are forest plantations. Forests in Uganda occur as gazetted areas (forest reserves), other protected areas (national parks) and as forests on private land. Forests and woodlands are estimated to have covered about 10,800,000 ha (45%) of Uganda’s surface area in around 1890. Since then, the size of the forest estate has drastically shrunk. For example, at the beginning of the 20th century, Uganda’s tropical high forests covered 3,090,000 ha or 12% of the country’s area. Over the years the forests have been gradually cleared and today estimates indicate reduction to about 730,000 ha, which is only (3%) of Uganda’s area. natural forests and plantations. Natural forests include tropical high forests and woodlands while

Since the colonial era in Uganda, gazettement of forest resources has been undertaken under three main categories which still form the back borne of the current gazettement plans. The aim is to ensure continuous supply of forest goods and services to the people of Uganda in perpetuity. The categories therefore include supply of goods especially hardwood timber; protection of water catchments and control of erosion; and increased production of forest goods through establishment of forest plantations. Presently, most of the forest cover under protection is located on the upper slopes of mountains and highlands. Besides biodiversity conservation, the forests in these highland areas are for protection of important water catchments and for erosion control. In other parts of the country, forests were gazetted primarily for biodiversity conservation and supply of timber.

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