Deforestation in Uganda: A major driver to desertification Crisis

Uganda's forests are among the country's most valuable natural resources, providing essential ecosystem services including rainfall regulation, carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, soil protection, water catchment management, and livelihoods for millions of people.

Forest ecosystems are globally significant biodiversity hotspots and serve as critical habitats for wildlife, including endangered primates and numerous bird species.

Despite their importance, Uganda continues to experience alarming rates of deforestation and forest degradation. According to the National Forestry Authority (NFA), Uganda's forest cover has declined from approximately 24% of the country's land area in 1990 to about 12.7% today, representing a loss of nearly half of the country's forest resources over the last three decades.

The recently released Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA 2025) by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) further indicates that Uganda's forest area declined from approximately 4.55 million hectares in 1990 to 2.37 million hectares in 2025, translating into a 48% reduction in forest cover. Between 2020 and 2025 alone, Uganda lost an average of 38,000 hectares of forest annually.

Most forest reserves continue to face immense pressure from agricultural expansion, illegal logging, charcoal burning, fuelwood harvesting, infrastructure development, mining activities, and human encroachment. The unsustainable extraction, habitat degradation, and weak enforcement of conservation measures continue to undermine the ecological integrity of forests vegetation.

The continued destruction of Uganda’s forests has far-reaching consequences for both people and the environment, and if not addressed, these impacts will continue to worsen.

1.    Climate change and declining rainfall intensity. Since forests play a vital role in regulating local and regional climate systems, their destruction is contributing to increased greenhouse gas emissions while reducing the landscape's ability to absorb carbon dioxide, as well as erratic rainfall patterns leading to prolonged dry spells, flooding, and reduced agricultural productivity.

2.     Soil degradation and desertification. Deforestation exposes soils to erosion risks by wind and water, thus accelerating land degradation and increasing the risk of desertification especially along the cattle corridor, northern, and eastern regions in Uganda.

3.     Loss of biodiversity. Habitat fragmentation and continued destruction is reducing wildlife populations and undermines eco-tourism in Uganda and globally due to extinction of most valuable species.

4.     Water resource depletion. The degradation of forests reduces water infiltration, increases surface runoff, and contributes to siltation of water bodies as most of them protect watersheds, wetlands, rivers, and lakes.

5.     Livelihood and food security risks. Millions of Ugandans especially the small holder farmer and indigenous people depend directly on forests for fuelwood, medicinal plants, construction materials, food products, and income generation. Continued forest loss threatens rural livelihoods and increases vulnerability to poverty and food insecurity.

ESAFF Uganda remains committed to promoting agroecology, climate resilience, and sustainable natural resource management as key pathways to addressing deforestation and land degradation. Through its initiatives, ESAFF Uganda promotes agroecological practices that reduce pressure on forests while improving farmer livelihoods.

These include agroforestry, composting, mulching, integrated crop-livestock systems, soil and water conservation, community seed systems, and farmer-managed natural regeneration. The Community Agroecology Schools and Agroecology Clubs established in learning institutions, play a big role in supporting practical environmental stewardship among farmers and youth through tree planting, establishment of school gardens, promotion of organic soil fertility management, and environmental awareness campaigns that contribute directly to ecosystem restoration and conservation.

ESAFF Uganda continues to advocate for policies that support sustainable land management, community participation in forest governance, restoration of degraded landscapes, and increased investment in agroecological approaches that simultaneously address food security, climate change, and biodiversity conservation.

To effectively address deforestation and desertification, coordinated action is required from all stakeholders, including government, local leadership, cultural institutions, civil society, development partners, the private sector, and communities. This can be achieved through the promotion and support of interventions and initiatives such as agroecological farming practices, sustainable land and forest management, restoration of degraded landscapes, strengthening community seed systems, and farmer-managed natural regeneration.

1.  Government and its affiliated institutions should strengthen enforcement against illegal logging, charcoal production, and forest encroachment, increase investment in forest restoration and landscape rehabilitation programs across the affected areas and communities, integrate forest conservation and restoration into district development plans, support community tree-planting initiatives and watershed restoration programs, enforce environmental regulations and land-use planning measures.

2.    The civil society and development partners should support community-based forest management initiatives, including environment education and public awareness campaigns and invest in farmer-led agroecological solutions and restoration efforts to encourage community-based conservation approaches and ownership

3.     The private sector should adopt sustainable sourcing practices that do not contribute to deforestation, invest in landscape restoration, carbon sequestration, and green value chains, and support alternative energy technologies that reduce dependence on fuelwood and charcoal.

4.     Communities, especially small-scale farmers, should embrace agroforestry and tree-based farming systems, protect existing forest resources and participate in restoration activities, adopt sustainable farming practices that enhance soil fertility and reduce pressure on natural ecosystems, and actively engage in community conservation initiatives.

Uganda stands at a critical crossroads where continued deforestation threatens the country's climate resilience, biodiversity, food systems, water resources, and economic development. The loss of nearly half of Uganda's forest cover within three decades is a clear signal that urgent action needs to be undertaken by all stakeholders to avert the crisis before it reaches irreversible levels and compromising the living conditions of the next generation.

In light of this, ESAFF Uganda calls upon government institutions, development partners, civil society organizations, the private sector, and all citizens to work together to halt deforestation, restore degraded landscapes, and promote agroecological solutions that protect nature while improving livelihoods.