Posted on October, 17 2020

The King made the remarks during the closing event of the Bulungi Bwansi week in the Kingdom. (Bulungi Bwansi is Community Service locally known aimed at encouraging the Kabaka’s (King’s) subjects to voluntary engage in keeping their homes, communities and the environment clean).

The Minister of Environment, Land and Bulungi Bwansi in the Buganda Kingdom Hon. Mariam Mayanja in her remarks thanked WWF for initiating the partnership with the Kingdom that is building towards not only environment but wildlife conservation as well, as indicated by WWF Uganda’s seedlings donation to all Buganda’s counties for this cause.

“Your Highness, most of our totems are wild animals. If we continue destroying the environment, we are destroying their habitats. That means they will get extinct and that is a threat to our cultural norms and values,” she explained. She added that the WWF partnership with the kingdom will ensure reduction in habitat and biodiversity loss.

The King, in his remarks expressed disappointment with the continued destruction and encroachment on protected areas such as wetlands and forests.

“Its very disappointing that most of the people destroying these high value areas are leaders. When do the laws in this country ever work”, he remarked adding that the country needs law abiding leadership if nature is to recover.

The King also urged the central Government to reduce or even cut taxes on the renewable energy options such as solar to enable rural Ugandans get access to these technologies and reduce their encroachment on the environment in search for fuel for lighting and cooking.

According to WWF Country Director David Duli, the move to work with the Kingdom is not only to seek for the Kingdoms’ endorsement of the New Deal for Nature and People campaign but also expand conservation work outside protected areas.

“We are very excited that with this partnership, we are expanding our conservation work outside the protected areas. Additionally, Buganda Kingdom is a key  player in stakeholder mobilisation. Having the kingdom to endorse our Nature recovery program is a milestone”, he explained.