Adjumani forest vanishes, fueling climate and livelihood shocks

ADJUMANI, September 11, 2025 — Once a lush forest reserve spanning approximately 48 hectares, the Adjumani District Forest Reserve has now become the epicentre of a storm brewing between government authorities, landowners, land buyers, and local communities.

The forest, gazetted in 1934 and declared under Statutory Instrument No. 176 of 1968 by the then Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Cooperatives for conservation and environmental protection, now lies scarred and fragmented by unauthorised constructions and agricultural activities.

Francis Ojja, the District Forest Officer, underscores the alarming extent of the depletion, revealing that the forest reserve is now 97 percent depleted. This dramatic loss is primarily due to the expansion of settlement infrastructure, including roads, commercial buildings, and farming activities, all of which have severely reduced the forest’s area and biodiversity.

The consequences of such extensive encroachment are profound. The forest’s ability to absorb carbon emissions has been significantly compromised, diminishing its role in mitigating climate change. With the loss of trees and vegetation, the ecological balance has been disrupted, leading to increased carbon levels in the atmosphere, which may contribute to broader environmental crises.

This situation demands urgent attention and intervention to halt further degradation and restore the forest’s capacity to support biodiversity and regulate the climate. It also highlights the need for sustainable development practices that balance infrastructure growth with environmental conservation.

Land grabs in broad daylight

Ground assessments reveal that vast portions of the forest reserve have been cleared, with buildings springing up and crops flourishing where indigenous trees once stood. Individuals claiming ownership of the land assert that they inherited the plots legally from their great-grandparents, who, they say, had historical claims to the area.

In the 1990s, the government of Uganda undertook forest reforms, decentralising some estates, including Adjumani Forest Reserve, to the district local government. As a result, Statutory Instrument No. 176 of 1998 was revoked by the Forest Declaration Order No. 63 of 1998, creating a loophole for encroachment.

Under growing pressure, Adjumani district officials have come under fire for what locals term “silent complicity” or, at best, gross negligence. Attempts to evict settlers from the forest reserve by issuing eviction notices, citing that they acquired the land from the Adjumani Catholic Parish after inheriting it from the Lajopi Clan, have yielded no results.

The district’s physical planner, Jimmy Oyo Ojara, explained that the district acquired the land back in 1968, before Adjumani became a district. However, to their dismay, the Lajopi Clan is now claiming ownership of the land.

“I may not come with a clear history on how the district acquired the land, but the Lajopi clan claims that the land belongs to them,” he said. “Individual clans, sub-clans, and even families within the area have continuously fragmented the land, subdividing and selling it to willing buyers. Even when advised not to, some people still choose to take the risk.”

The issue is complicated further when those responsible for illegal constructions ignore official intervention, even threatening planners and law enforcement officers with violence.

Ojara continued: “The law enforcement officers are having a tough time there. Sometimes they even tell you, ‘We shall trail you.’ Everyone is claiming ownership of the land.”

Bala Erwaga, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Lajopi Clan, stated that the land was initially given by the Lajopi Clan for the purpose of planting trees for firewood.

“The land in question is clan land, not family land or individual land. We gave it to the mission, and we understand the value of the forest. We were still negotiating with the local government to secure alternative land, but that process had not yet been concluded,” he said.

Erwaga emphasised that the land is managed by the clan chief, not an individual, and they have not sold land to developers. “Our position is clear: as the Lajopi Clan, we have not sold land for development. We know the correct process for such transactions, and we condemn anyone exploiting the clan while bypassing these procedures,” he added.

The Head Catechist of Adjumani Catholic Parish, who has served the parish for 41 years, clarified that the parish does not have proper documentation with the district regarding the forest reserve. He explained that the district took over the land when many of the priests were kidnapped and killed during Amin’s regime.

“To this day, we do not know how the district acquired the land, as there was no documented agreement between the district and the mission over the reserve,” he said. “We too are planning to demand clarity on this issue.”

The parish has attempted to sensitise the community, serving eviction notices to those occupying the reserve. However, locals contend that the land belongs to them, further complicating the situation. “The government claims ownership, but the community argues otherwise,” said Ojja. “This is now a matter for the courts to resolve.”

A divided community

A prominent businessman in the area, who wished to remain anonymous for security reasons, said he purchased his land in 2012 without being informed that it was part of the forest reserve. “When I bought this land, I wasn’t told it was in a forest reserve. I had no idea. We’ll just have to wait for the court to make its decision,” he said.

An expert on land matters, speaking anonymously due to the complexity of the issue, pointed out that when the land was gazetted as a forest reserve in 1968, it legally belonged to the government, which could act without consulting the people at the time. “It is difficult to know what the Catholic Church discussed with the local government back then,” the expert noted.

Environmental and social fallout

Beyond the legal quagmire, the consequences of encroachment are already being felt on the ground. The once-thriving ecosystem, which provided a buffer against soil erosion and climate extremes, is rapidly degrading.

“There’s a noticeable change in the weather patterns,” said Patrick Tandrupasi, a member of the Lajopi Clan. “We used to gather firewood from the branches. We used to have steady rainfall. Now, we experience floods and droughts in quick succession.”

Communities also lament the loss of access to forest resources, such as herbal medicine, firewood, and fruits, all of which were integral to their livelihoods.

Grace Aserua, also from the Lajopi village, lamented how the business community has encroached on the land. “We used to collect firewood in the forest, but now we have to travel over 10 kilometres to find it,” she said. “As women, we bear the brunt of these encroachments. We now have to carry the heavy burden of searching for firewood far from home.”

Calls for investigation, and restoration

Civil society organisations and community leaders are calling for an independent investigation into how the land changed hands and a restoration of the forest reserve.

“The district must explain. The NFA must act. And the Ministry of Lands must account for how this forest was parcelled out,” said Amazuru William, Team Leader of Friends of Zoka in Adjumani. “Our future is at stake.”

In response, the National Forestry Authority [NFA] has launched preliminary inquiries and pledged to follow through with the matter in court. However, residents remain sceptical until tangible action is taken on the ground.

Between 2002 and 2024, Uganda lost 80,000 hectares of humid primary forest, representing 7 percent of the country’s overall tree cover loss during that period. This decline reduced Uganda’s total humid primary forest area by 16 percent.

In Adjumani district, natural forests covered 102,000 hectares in 2020, making up 33 percent of its land area. By 2024, the district had lost 3,250 hectares of natural forest, leading to 1.39 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions.

Globally, natural forests covered 3.68 billion hectares in 2020, accounting for 28 percent of the planet’s land surface. However, by 2024, the world had lost 26.8 million hectares of natural forest, contributing to 10 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

A Shrinking global forest carbon sink

For decades, forests have been one of the planet’s strongest defences against climate change, absorbing vast amounts of carbon and regulating global temperatures. However, this crucial role is becoming increasingly uncertain.

In 2023 and 2024, forests absorbed only about a quarter of their usual carbon dioxide intake, marking the lowest absorption rate in over 20 years. This sharp decline, driven by widespread wildfires and ongoing deforestation, reflects a weakening global forest carbon sink.

https://thecooperator.news/updf-accused-of-aiding-illegal-logging-and-charcoal-trade-in-zoka-forest/

Buy your copy of thecooperator magazine from one of our country-wide vending points or an e-copy on emag.thecooperator.news