Descriptions

Uganda has identified forestry as one of its priority growth sectors, but weak enforcement capacity of law enforcement authorities and inappropriate legal frameworks that forbid chainsaw milling has promoted the development of a large informal timber economy. This has undermined regulatory oversight and has limited the capacity of the state to adequately capture fiscal revenues and the developmental potential of the forestry sector. However, in recent years the need to better regulate timber production and trade practices is increasingly being acknowledged in Uganda and by other EAC member states. This has, for example, led to the ratification in 2006 of the East African Community Protocol on Environment and Natural Resource Management and in 2014 to the establishment of a regional initiative to combat illegal logging through The East Africa Initiative on Illegal Timber Trade and REDD+.Moreover, the East African Legislative Assembly is currently reviewing a draft bill on Forests Management and Protection, that once ratified will provide further guidance on the sustainable management and use of forest products including timber in the region.