Abstract:
This study is motivated by the problem of natural resource degradation that results from
agricultural activities, over-harvesting of forest products and other human activities.
ECOTRUST (2001) estimates that Uganda loses up to 12% of her natural resources worth over
$500 million per year due to natural resource degradation.
1
Since the lost natural resources are
for both present and future generations, the country has accumulated an environmental debt of
about $3.8 billion over the past three years only (ECOTRUST, 2001). Consequently, forest cover
and biodiversity are decreasing due to pressure exerted by the increasing demand for forest
products and agricultural expansion. As is the case for forest degradation, the rate of degradation of the land resource is also high.