The Uganda National Forestry Authority (NFA) has signed an agreement with the Community residing next to Matiri central forest in Kyenjojo district to conserve and sustainably use the forest. Matiri Forest had been encroached on but since the encroachers were thrown out the forest authority is now fast regretting which has prompted NFA and the nearby community to enter an agreement in which the community members will play a watchdog role over the forest, and will be allowed to carry out some accepted economic activities like Bee keeping, and fetching firewood.

While signing the agreement held at Murambu primary school Matiri village, NFA Executive director Micheal Mugisa has commended the community of Matiri for this commitment but warned the public against forest encroachment. According to Sam Nyakojjo the acting executive director of an Environmental NGO the Joint Effort to Save Environment (JESE) which has been sensitizing communities about the need to conserve the environment, the signed agreement is a great milestone.

The post NFA signs agreement with community to conserve Matiri central forest first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

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Kibaale District deputy RDC Emmy Ngabirano wants National Forestry Authority (NFA) to stop all its activities of evicting people out of the forest in which they encroached illegally until the 2016 elections are done.

According to Ngabirano, evicting people from the forest even if they settled there illegally might cause unnecessary unrest, and disgust to the seating government. This comes as National forestry officials in Kibaale- Kagadi have stepped-up efforts to evict all illegal settlers in the Forest reserves to save the country from the increasing harsh climate change conditions resulting from tree cutting which is at its peak in these two districts.

However Environmental Activist Frank Musamuzi the Executive Director of the National Association of Environmental Experts (NAPE) has urged environmental conservation bodies not to mix in politics but rather remain focused on their constitutional mandate.

The post Stop evicting forest encroachers until after 2016 elections – Kibaale District deputy RDC first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.