Whereas the National Forestry and Tree Planting Act, 2003 creates a Tree Fund nothing has been done from the time the Act was passed into Law to bring the fund into operation.

The Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE) is now wondering what became of the fund that should be financing programmes that promote tree planting.

The ACODE deputy Executive director Onesmus Mugyenyi says the leader of government business in Parliament to instigate an inquiry into why the Tree Fund has not been implemented yet it was meant to support efforts of protecting the country’s forests.

Mugenyi also called on the environment ministry to put in place the necessary structures for the Tree Fund to operate.

Uganda is estimated to have lost about a quarter of its forest cover equivalent to 1.3 million hectares of land.

Mugyenyi warned that at the current rate of losing forest coverage, the country is likely to have no forests in the next fifty years.

Mugenyi also expressed dismay over the uncoordinated efforts to enforce the laws for environmental protection in Uganda especially against people who encroach on forest land.