Abstract:

Uganda has a total land area of about 241 550 km2
, most of which is covered by subsistence
farmland and grasslands. The country had a population of 30.7 million people by mid-year 2009
and growing at an annual rate of 3.2%. The total forested area of the country is about 3.6 million
ha which is 15% of the total land area. In terms of ownership, only 36% of the forests are owned
by the government and the rest (64%) is under private ownership.
2. Between 1990 and 2005, the average annual rate of deforestation was 1.8%. The highest loss
was registered on private land where there is very little planned management. The causes of loss
of forest cover continue to be over-harvesting of forest products, mainly timber and charcoal, land
clearance for agriculture, overgrazing, urbanisation, and industrial development. The rapid growth
of population also exerts a lot of pressure on the forest resources.