Abstract:

The Uganda forestry sector has evolved since its inception as the Scientific and Botany Department in 1898 through the Forestry Department (FD) 1929-2003 to the present cooperate National Forestry Authority (NFA). The first Uganda Forest Policy was gazetted in 1929 while the current "Uganda Forestry Policy" was gazetted in 2001. The guiding principles for the current forest sector policy include: national objectives for conservation and sustainable development, livelihoods and poverty, biodiversity and environmental services, partnership and governance, gender and equity, cultural and traditional institutions, international obligations, and forestry valuation. It recognizes that Uganda's forests and woodlands are central to the three pillars of sustainable development — the economy, society and the environment, and therefore forestry sector is promoted and given adequate priority. Promotion of positive understanding of forests and trees, expansion of research activities, and provision of new directions for sustainable development are also policy provisions.