A red-tailed monkey makes his home in Mabira Forest, Uganda. The Ugandan government has decided to drop its plan to give away a third of Mabira Forest Reserve land for sugarcane plantations. The government bowed to pressure from wildlife activists who feared that the plan would result in the loss of hundreds of endangered species. At least three people were killed during demonstrations for the protection of the Mabira Forest.
The Mabira Forest Reserve covers more than 30,000 hectares, and is globally recognized as an important bird area as it contains over 12% of plant species and 30% of bird species found in Uganda. The Sugar Corporation of Uganda Limited (Scoul), with the co-operation of the Ugandan government, planned to clear one-third of the forest for sugarcane plantations. The people of Uganda rose up in protest against the move, holding demonstrations, circulating petitions, and setting Scoul plantations on fire. The kabaka (king) of Buganda and the Anglican church of Mukono both opposed the deforestation plan, and both offered alternative land for sugarcane production. In October, the government finally scrapped it's controversial plan, and announced its intention to conserve Mabira.
Big shoutout to the people of Uganda for standing their ground against business and government, even after the protests turned bloody.
Sources and resources:
1. afrol News
2. afrol News
3. BBC News
4. Wikipedia, “Mabira Forest”
5. BirdLife International
6. BirdLife International
No comments:
Post a Comment