Natural Resources

 Introduction

The Department of Natural Resources comprises of the Natural Resources Office, the Lands and Physical Planning Office as well as the Forestry, Environment/Wetlands Office. It is charged with the responsibility of ensuring sustainable and productive utilisation of natural resources for poverty reduction, enhanced economic growth and improved livelihoods. The major causes of the deterioration of the quality and the quantity of the natural resource base is associated with human activity ranging from farming, infrastructure development etc. There is massive deforestation particularly on privately owned land where over 90% of the Districts tree resources are. This is closely followed by wetland degradation as a result of cultivation of crops. Other threats are soil erosion whose magnitude and impact has never been quantified.

 Environmental Sanitation

  • Number of solid waste collection points :                    00
  • Number of landfills:                                                00
  • Length of storm water drains functional:                  00 metres
  • Number of solid waste disposal points in LG:            00
  • Number of abattoirs:                                              00
  • Number of abattoirs that meet specifications:           00
  • Number of abattoirs with disposable lagoons:            00

 

Waste Management

  • Number of bunkers:                                                00
  • Number of garbage tracks:                                      00
  • Number of refuse skips:                                           00
  • Availability of a land fill:                                          00
  • Dumping sites:                                                       01
  • Incinerators:                                                          01
  • Rubbish Pits:                                                         00

Tree planting

  • Number of nursery beds established and maintained: 5 – 2 private, 3 NUSAF
  • Number of trees planted ( in calendar year 2007): 500,000 trees, assorted spp
  • Number of commercial tree growers:     15 across the District

 

Charcoal burning

  • Number of licensed charcoal dealers:   00
  • Number of licensed timber dealers:   00 since the ban on power saws has not been lifted

 

            State of Wetlands         

  • Number of rivers and lakes Silted: Over 15 (But all rivers and streams in the District are silted)
  • Percentage of wetlands used for papyrus harvesting: (grass) 45% grass harvesting while most have been converted to arable land
  • Reclamation for human settlement and activities: (agriculture + livestock) above 80%

 Location of Rivers, Swamps and Lakes

Tables 2, 3 and 4 show the existing rivers, swamps and lakes respectively.

 

Table 2:  Rivers

River

Location

Length in district

Characteristic

Manafwa

Subcounties of Kaato, Buwangani, Wesswa, Buwagogo, Manafwa Town Council

Runs across the district (approx.25Km)

Still in its young stage – high flow speed, flash floods in some areas, big flood plains

Tsutsu –

 

(Buwangani)

Runs from Bududa District into Manafwa District in Buwangani Town Council and joins Manafwa River there

(appox. 2km)

Shares the flood plain with R. Manafwa in Buwangani, flash floods seasonally, riverine wetlands along

Sinje –

 

(Wesswa)

Approx. 4km

In its young stages and is a tributary to R. Manafwa joining it in Wesswa S/C. It is heavily silted with enormous sand

Kaato

 

Wesswa and Kaato Sub Counties

Approx. 4.4km

Entirely in its young stage and joins R. Manafwa in Kaato S/C at the boundary with Bududa District

Sala 

 

Buwagogo

Approx. 5km

Entirely in its young stage and joins R. Manafwa in Buwagogo S/C. with a lot of force carrying off big junks of land

Liisi 

 

Buwagogo

Approx. 1.6km

In its young stage with a lot of silt from Bududa District. Joins R. Manafwa at the boundary of  Buwagogo S/C and Manafwa T/C

Passa

Manafwa

 

Approx. 1km

In its young stage but becomes very active in the rain season eating off the banks

Kufu

 

Khabutoola, Manafwa T/C

Approx. 5.4km

Enormous amounts of sand and erosivity

Nekina

 

Khabutoola, Nalondo, Bugobero

Aprox. 8km

 

Nadelema

 

Bunabwana

Approx. 7km

Enomous amounts of sand and silt, riverine wetlands

Khamitsaru –

 

Bukhofu, Sisuni, Butiru, Bugobero

Approx. 8km

 

Namweke

Butiru, Sisuni

Approx. 4km

Entire area covered with riverine wetlands and joins Khamitsaru River in Butiru

Source: District Environmental Action Plan 2010

 

Table 3: Swamps

Swamp

Location

Characteristic

Nabaloosi

Kaato, Buwagogo

Salty water, mud, wetland vegetation (reeds), birds

Namweke

Butiru, Sisuni

wetland vegetation (reeds)

Nangilima 

Butiru

wetland vegetation (reeds)

Kibukwa

Butta

wetland vegetation (reeds)

Watata 

Buwangani

wetland vegetation (reeds)

Busukuya

Busukuya

wetland vegetation (reeds)

Source: District Environmental Action Plan 2010

 

Table 4: Lakes

Location

Characteristics

Total

Sub-county/County

Permanent

Seasonal

 

N/A

N/A

N/A

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Environmental issues (Flora and Fauna)

 

   Table 5: Wetlands

Status

Flora

Fauna

Endangered SPPs

Wetland vegetation, shrubs

Wetland bird spp, small mammals on hills

Predominant SPPs

Eucalyptus and farmed crops

Livestock

Invasive SPPs

Lantana camara

-

Extinct SPPs

-

-

    Source: District Environmental Action Plan 2010

 

 

   Table 6: Terrestrial

Status

Flora

Fauna

Endangered SPPs

Mvule and shrubs

Small mamals on hilly zones – hare etc, birds – crow

Predominant SPPs

Eucalyptus, pine and farmed crops

livestock

Invasive Spps

Lantana camara

-

Extinct Spps

-

-

    Source: District Environmental Action Plan 2010

 Land management

 Land use

  • Percentage of land under agriculture:                            86%
  • Percentage of land under commercial farming:                 6%
  • Percentage of land occupied by forest reserves:               16%

 Land Degradation problems by type

                    

     Table 7: Soil Erosion

Location

 

 

Type of erosion

 

(% effect)

Rill erosion

Sheet erosion

Gulley erosion

 

All over the District

Al lover the District

All over the District

Wesswa, Bunabwana, Bukhadala, Makenya, Bunyinza T/C,

Great (over 60%)

      Source: District Environmental Action Plan 2010

 

 Pollution

 

      Table 8: Pollution industries by category

Type of Industry

No. of approved EIAs

Environment component affected

Food processing

0

Air, Water, Human

Filling stations

4

Soil, water

Grinding mills

2

Air

Telecom Masts

5

Land, vegetation, soil

Tanneries

0

Air, water, fauna & Flora

Abattoirs

0

Air, soil, water, human

Wet coffee processing

0

Water, soil and human

       Source: District Environmental Action Plan 2010

 

      Table 9: Waste management (particularly for urban) as of 2011

Waste management type

Number

Bunkers

0

Garbage trucks

0

Refuse skips

0

Land fills

0

Dumping sites

1

Placenta pits

2

Incinerators

1

Rubbish pits

0

        Source: District Environmental Action Plan 2010

          Forestry

Types of Forests

      Table 10:    Types of forests

Type of Forest

Size

Natural  Forests

00 acres

Plantations

00 acres

Central Forest Reserves

00 Hectares

District/Local Forest reserves

47 Hectares

Private forest reserves

200 hectares

        Source: District Forest Services

 

      Table 11: Local Forest Reserves

Name of Forest

Location

Area(Ha)

Condition

Date when gazetted

Bubulo

Manafwa T/C

15

Eucalyptus plantation

-

Busumbu

Butiru/Bukhofu

32

Eucalyptus plantation

-

 

 

 

Eucalyptus plantation

 

 

 

 

Savannah woodland

 

 

 

 

Savannah woodland

 

      Source: District Forest Services

 

     Table 13: Land cover/distribution of Forest Reserves by type

Land cover

Area (ha)

Central Forest Reserves

00

Local Forest Reserves

47

       Source: District Environmental Action Plan 2010

                                                                               

 

Private Forests in the District

 

     Table 14: Land Cover Distribution and Biomass Standing Stock

Land Cover Type

District (Ha)

Biomass in District(tons)

Biomass in  CFR (Tons)

Hardwood Plantations

164

 

-

Softwood Plantations

82

 

-

Tropical High Forest(THF) –Normal

-

 

-

Tropical High Forest(THF) –Depleted

-

 

-

Woodlands

-

 

-

Bush lands

-

 

-

Grasslands

-

 

-

Wetlands Subsistence Farmlands

34

 

-

Subsistence Farmlands

320

 

-

Commercial Farmlands

-

 

-

Built up Areas

-

 

-

Water

-

 

-

Impediments

-

 

-

Total

 

 

-

      Source: District Environmental Action Plan 2010

 

Table 17: Tree Nursery bed sites according to ownership

 

Seedlings data

OWNERSHIP

Govt/ Public

Institutional/ Schools/ NGO,s

Groups/CBO

Individual

No of nursery beds

-

-

6

53

No. of commercial growers

-

-

-

-

No. of seedlings raised

-

-

240,000

800,000

No. of seedlings sold

-

-

240,000

600,000

No. of seedlings planted

-

-

240,000

600,000

            Source: District Environmental Action Plan 2010

          Conclusion

The District state in terms of natural resources potential is on the decline due to factors that are not limited to population pressure. There is therefore urgent need for restoration efforts through community engagement and enforcement