Draft national environment action plan for Uganda

This draft National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP) begins with an overview of Uganda"s history and physical, socioeconomic, and macroeconomic situation. Chapter 2 summarizes the state of Uganda"s natural resources, analyzing its most serious environmental problems: soil erosion and land degradation, due mainly to rapid, widespread deforestation; uncontrolled harvesting of plant and animal species; draining of wetlands for dairy farming, cropping, and industrial use; overfishing of lakes and streams and invasion by the water hyacinth; overgrazing of rangelands; fuelwood shortages; moderate levels of pollution; high levels of environmentally related diseases; and limited institutional capacity for environmental management. Chapter 3 presents a strategy for addressing Uganda"s environmental needs in a coordinated cross-sectoral manner and proposes a framework for environmental institutional reforms, legislation, enforcement strategies, and participation in international agreements. Finally, Chapter 4 presents a prioritized investment program to support the NEAP, defines an implementation and a monitoring strategy, and spells out the responsibilities of all involved government agencies and the private sector. The investment program has five foci: environmental management capacity building; enhancement of resource productivity; biodiversity conservation and use; environmental health and pollution management; and environmental education and public awareness. Includes references.