Brandon Clelland - 139962307
It is most apparent that all economic activities have an impact on the environment. Deforestation has quickly become one of the most prevalent issues in the world today, and has been broadened by globalization making it a major concern in today’s society. Deforestation is a non-temporary change of land use from forest to other land use or depletion of forest crown to less than 10 percent. Unfortunately deforestation has many negative effects, even if the work is unintentional. The demand for deforestation is rampant and the quickly disappearing forest in Uganda leaves much concern for our economy. Uganda is a country in East Africa that is bordered by many places such as Kenya, South Sudan and Rwanda. (See figure 1) Logging for tropical hardwoods, fuel wood, and the paper industry are the primary reasons for the clear cutting to occur. Unfortunately the devastation of deforestation brings large profits, which ultimately is what the government and logging companies are after. Many of these people turn their heads and refuse to see the effects that their actions leave on the environment. This essay will bring forward the discussion on the impacts of deforestation, how it affects the water resources and wildlife biodiversity in Uganda, as well as the proposed solutions.
Uganda is a prime industry that has been destroying their forests due to the seemingly large profits there is to be made. Industrialization has and continues to be one of the biggest concerns affecting Uganda’s tropical forests today. Large industries clear-cut Uganda’s forest in order to create fuel wood, and keep up with the high demand of the paper industry. Unfortunately it is not just clear-cutting forests for agriculture that we need to be concerned about. Tropical forests are also subject to selective logging - where specific types of trees are harvested to make products such as plywood, particleboard and other solid wood products. Paper