Action for Social Economic Development

If selected we will empower local communities to participate effectively in natural resource governance and sustainable utilization. This will be done through;

• Enhancing management and conservation of wetland, dry lands and forest ecosystems by establishing resource management structures and building the capacity of local resource managers.
• Improving community livelihoods by supporting four Nature Based Enterprises in Masindi and Kiryandongo Districts
• Contributing towards climate change mitigation and achievement of global 2030 Agenda by planting over 150,000 indigenous trees in the degraded areas in the project area.

The project goal is to empower local communities to participate effectively in natural resource governance and sustainable utilization. It will address three broad issues; enhancing management of local resources, Improving community livelihoods and Climate Change mitigation.

The complexities of the ecosystems demand an integrated approach in its management. Various components of the ecosystems are intricately linked including the human factor hence we advocate for an ecosystem approach that seeks to address ecosystem issues as holistically as possible. We believe that the local communities, in the struggle to meet their basic needs contribute highly to resource degradation. However, if empowered with the right knowledge and skills, they become the best advocates and managers of their local resources.

 The local communities maximizes the use of their local resources in improving their livelihoods. However, should be ecologically, socially and economically sustainable. If this is done well, it can motivate the local community to take charge in the conservation and development of the local resources. Intertwined and cutting across such initiatives, is the need to address the challenges of climate change and the local efforts that can have global impacts, is conserving the existing while planting more trees to enlarge the carbon sink.

Budongo Central Forest Reserve is the largest survival natural forest in Uganda, with a total surface of approximately 825 square km, of which 430 square km is continuous forest. The ecosystem has been affected by illegal cutting of trees for timber, settlement and various products and materials. This destruction has increased surface runoff causing serious soil erosion.

Besides, wetlands conservation challenge is attributed to the unsustainable human activities on the riparian land including precarious illegal quarrying, clearing of the wetland line ecosystem for agriculture and quarrying. The poor management of wetlands is bound to breed great consequences on livelihoods immediate and downstream of wetlands especially with increasing climate changes.

Some areas in Masindi and Kiryandongo District over years has and continues to be ravaged by drought, periodic acute food insecurity and poverty. The communities engage in crop farming that is highly rain fed. The increasing unreliable and unpredictable rainfall due to climate change raises community vulnerability.  

To enhance the management of the forest resource, strengthening and sensitization of the local community and other stakeholders for effective implementation of community conservation initiative while supporting them to sustainably use the resource in improving their local livelihoods.

This project will be implemented in three strategic ecosystems/project sites; wetlands, Forrest and dry land.

To promote sustainable utilization of natural resources, the will support the communities in the three project sites to establish economically viable that can generate alternative income to reduce poverty and food insecurity. This is in line with 2030 Agenda, which is universal, applying to all countries and actors. It requires all nations to take climate action, reduce unemployment, strengthen gender equality and promote peaceful societies, to name a few, if the world is to eradicate poverty and shift into a more sustainable development. Under climate change mitigation, the community will be supported to plant over 150,000 indigenous trees to rehabilitate the degraded areas including hilltops, wetlands and spring protection. To enhance management of local resources, we will support the implementation of laws and build the capacity of local leaders, cultural leaders and other stakeholder in forest, wetland and dryland lands ecosystems respectively.

This project is expected to achieve the following achievements.

Outputs

Output 1: Capacitated local resource managers with strengthened organization and leadership skills, and strong resource management structures.

Output 2: Improved livelihood through enhanced household income, food security and nutrition

Output 3: Restored ecosystems providing myriads of goods and services including enlarged carbon sinks

Desired project outcome

• Enhanced management of local resources in wetlands and Budongo forest ecosystems
• Increased quantity and quality of goods and services from the three ecosystems
• Increased carbon sinks as a result of increased tree cover

Desired project impact

Empowered communities participating effectively in the management and development and benefiting from their natural resources.