Climate change poses one of the most serious threats to Africa’s environment, economy and social well-being. The negative impacts of climate change that include habitat loss, fragmentation, overexploitation of natural resources, pollution, and the spread of invasive alien species being felt across Uganda and present a threat to wildlife resources, wildlands and livelihoods of countless communities, particularly those that live within and around protected and rural areas that heavily depend on rain-fed agriculture.
Uganda has experienced a warming of up to 1°C during the last century. There is evidence of increased frequency and intensity of droughts, floods, heat waves and landslides in Rwenzoris, Kigezi, Mt Elgon among others. There is retreating glaciers as a large portion of the ice cap on the Rwenzori Mountains has significantly melted; about 83% of the ice cap has been lost since 1912 and it is feared it will completely disappear by 2050! Forests, wetlands, and protected areas are important for the development of rural areas, for mitigating impacts of climate change, and for building resilience of rural communities to climate change effects. Unfortunately, Uganda’s forests and wetlands are being lost and degraded at one of the highest rates in the world. The total net loss of Uganda’s forests during 2000–2015 was estimated at 1.8 million ha, equivalent to an average annual loss rate of 4 percent.
Uganda is also the largest refugee-hosting country in Africa and the third largest worldwide. Due mainly to ongoing conflicts and instability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, Uganda is hosting over 1.3 million refugees and asylum-seekers. Most refugee settlements are located in western and northern Uganda. The refugee presence has added to existing pressure on the environment, leading to an increase in the rate of degradation and tree loss, with accelerated land cover changes in bushland and woodland. Uganda is susceptible to climate change, and its impacts are already being experienced in the region. Increased occurrences of drought conditions and reduced or more variable rainfall across much of the country will affect agriculture, livestock, and human health. We are helping communities, especially around protected areas, refugee areas and key ecosystems to understand and build appropriate strategies that don’t only provide some resilience to environmental change, but also offer an opportunity to adapt to it in a positive way.