The School of Forestry, Environmental and Geographical Sciences, in collaboration with the Association of Uganda Professional Women in Agriculture and Environment (AUPWAE) and the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) have been implementing a collaborative research project, funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), on “The dynamics and governance of Uganda’s informal timber value chains: identifying appropriate formalization options” over the past two years. Prof. Banana has been the Principal researcher for Makerere University.
Uganda has identified forestry as one of its priority growth sectors, but weak enforcement capacity and inappropriate legal frameworks have promoted the development of a large informal timber economy, for both domestic production and imports. 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.
This project aim was to improve regulatory and policy regimes governing timber value chains in Uganda that support sustainable and inclusive development objectives and priorities.
The specific objective of this project is to equip local, national and regional civil society organisations and government entities with the necessary knowledge to develop and implement evidence-based policies and strategies that support formalization of informal timber value chains, while contributing to sustainable and inclusive development.
It did this by conducting research on:
(a) Regional timber trade flows and patterns;
(b) Dynamics and governance of the timber value chain, including how timber resources are accessed through different types of customary and statutory tenurial systems;
(c) Law enforcement practices, political economic context, and implementation challenges
(d) Social, economic, and environmental impacts of the informal timber market
The team organised a national dissemination workshop on 15th May 2019 at Grand Imperial Hotel, Kampala.. The purpose of this workshop was to share research findings as well as
proposals for formalization of timber trade in Uganda with the stakeholders in the environment sector, including policy makers.
Find more media coverage by our agricultural reporter on this link.
https://newsdiaryonline.com/how-scientists-proffer-solutions-for-forest-utilization-by-lominda-afedraru/?fbclid=IwAR2eL7p5TdSSQZOMsrswEvl7vo9jdOgRJX3aqISW8lc-u896KE4492x2ivs