By Ivan Mugisha
Wetland coverage in Kitagwenda District has declined from 78.4 percent to 76.6 percent, raising concern among district leaders and environmental authorities. The drop comes after a period in which the district had recorded notable regeneration of its wetland ecosystems.
According to the District Environment Officer, Anthony Kalyegira, the decline is largely attributed to lax environmental education and weak enforcement of existing environmental protection laws, which have allowed continued encroachment into protected areas.
Kalyegira noted that the growing rush to plant coffee especially by communities living near marshlands has significantly contributed to wetland degradation. He explained that some residents have encroached on wetlands and cleared forests in an effort to expand agricultural land.
Over the past few years, the Ministry of Water and Environment, in partnership with organizations such as Joint Efforts to Save the Environment, has supported the district in restoring degraded wetlands through the demarcation of buffer zones using concrete pillars.
