By Catherine Namanya

As Uganda we mark Zero Emissions Day that falls every September 21^st, Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has continued to strengthen efforts to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions through forest restoration, community conservation, climate-smart livelihoods and sustainable tourism.

The initiatives implemented in partnership with FACE the Future Project and the Investing in Forests and Protected Areas for Climate-Smart Development (IFPA-CD) Project, supported by World Bank, have addressed climate change issues in the Protected areas where the projects are running.

 According to Richard Kapere, UWA Assistant Commissioner Conservation Planning, the authority is contributing to reducing Uganda's carbon footprint through restoration of degraded areas, a case in point is the FACE the Future Project on restoration project   in Kibale National Park and Mount Elgon where planting and maintaining indigenous trees is happening and the IFPA-CD project that supports the improvement of management of protected areas and supporting local communities.

The IFPA-CD Project is complementing these efforts by supporting communities around eleven protected areas to adopt sustainable livelihood and energy practices. Edgar Buhanga, an IFPA-CD Project Officer and consultant, said communities are being trained in climate-smart practices, including the construction and use of energy-saving stoves, which consume less firewood and reduce pressure on forests, installation of water tanks and other support that contribute to conservation.

The FACE project restoration efforts have covered approximately 7,250 hectares in Kibale and 3,000 hectares in Mount Elgon over the years. Kapere said healthy forests are important natural carbon sinks because they absorb and store carbon, while restoration also improves the ecological health of protected areas.

Kigenyi Richard, Senior Forestry Officer at UWA, said in Kibale, the FACE project has greatly contributed to checking the effects of global warming by strengthening protection of forests and wetland corridors through encouraging communities to support the project and also planting trees on their private land.

“Through agroforestry, communities can benefit economically from trees while contributing to carbon absorption and environmental protection - UWA is also encouraging communities to avoid unsustainable agricultural practices and activities that degrade natural resources. People need to understand that conservation can provide economic and environmental benefits rather than simply restricting access to natural resources,” Kigenyi said.

As the world marks Zero Emissions Day, these initiatives demonstrate UWA’s contribution towards reducing greenhouse-gas emissions and building a climate resilience ecosystem.