Adjumani selected to host 2026 World Environment Day
ADJUMANI, December 16, 2025 — Adjumani district has been chosen as the national host for next year’s World Environment Day [WED] celebrations.
WED is celebrated annually on June 5th, and encourages awareness and action for the protection of the environment. It is supported by many non-governmental organisations, businesses, government entities, and represents the primary United Nations outreach day supporting the environment.
The announcement for WED was made by Tony Acidria, Senior Environment Awareness Officer at NEMA, who revealed that the 2026 national celebration will run under the theme “A Call for Climate Action for All.”
According to Acidria, NEMA adopted a rotational hosting model in 2023 to ensure that all regions of the country have an opportunity to showcase local environmental challenges and innovations.
“We have been to the eastern region around Mount Elgon, the central region, and recently to the Kigezi Sub-region. This time, we specifically targeted Adjumani because of the refugee presence in the district and the environmental impacts associated with hosting large populations,” he said.
A flat recovery curve after decades of loss
Acidria noted that Uganda’s environmental indicators, while no longer worsening at the alarming rate seen in past decades, remain far from healthy.
“At the national level, if you look at the environmental curve, I would say we have moved from a downward trend to a flat one,” he said.
He highlighted that Uganda lost nearly 50 percent of its forest cover between the 1950s and 1990s, followed by another 10 percent loss in the 2000s. Only in recent years has the country recorded a modest 2 percent increase in forest cover. A similar pattern exists for wetlands that have lost almost 60 percent over several decades; recent restoration efforts have led to a small recovery of approximately 2 percent.
“That slight increase is important, but it cannot erase the massive loss of forests and wetlands over the last half century,” he added. “These challenges remain countrywide.”
Adjumani’s forests under pressure from charcoal trade
Local data paints an even grimmer picture. According to Francis Ojja, Adjumani’s District Forest Officer, charcoal production remains the biggest driver of forest degradation. In the last decade alone, he said, more than 2,000 acres of private natural forests have been cleared.
“Between 2011 and 2016, we lost 500.8 acres. Between 2019 and 2023, another 688.5 acres were destroyed. If we fail to regulate charcoal production, we are projecting a loss of over 8,000 acres by 2024,” he warned.
Ojja further reported that charcoal production in the district has surged dramatically. From 2,448 metric tons between 2011 and 2016, equivalent to over 20,000 bags, the volume rose to 3,060 metric tons between 2019 and 2023. Shockingly, 70 percent of this charcoal is transported outside the district, indicating a commercial-scale operation beyond local household use.
While enforcement has been strengthened, Ojja noted a gap in the law. “There is a need for a district ordinance to reinforce the National Tree Planting Act, which does not clearly define operations on private forests,” he said. In response, the district, together with various partners, has launched a tree-planting campaign to help restore lost vegetation.
Local conservationists welcome the opportunity for visibility
Environmental advocates say hosting WED 2026 will help spotlight Adjumani’s urgent ecological struggles.
Williams Amanzuru, Team Leader of Friends of Zoka, said the event offers a vital platform to draw national attention to the degradation of Zoka Central Forest Reserve and rampant illegal charcoal trade.
“This is an opportunity to raise greater awareness of the depletion of Zoka and the massive illegal charcoal trade ravaging our district every day,” he said.
Amanzuru urged communities to adopt everyday conservation habits, including reducing waste, saving water and energy, choosing sustainable transport, planting trees, and supporting pro-environment policies, emphasizing that long-term ecological health depends on sustained community action and strong political will.
NEMA calls for regional leadership ahead of 2026 event
As preparations begin, NEMA has engaged Adjumani District Local Government and stakeholders to take the lead in organizing the national event. Mr. Wilbert Ikilai, Manager for Environment Education and Advocacy at NEMA, said the choice of West Nile is tied to climate stresses currently affecting the region.
“The region is experiencing increased heatwaves, prolonged drought, unreliable rainfall, floods, and declining air and water quality,” Ikilai said. “If we do not take action, we shall all suffer the consequences, whether through disease, malnutrition, or lack of clean and sufficient water. All these factors directly affect human health and life.”
West Nile’s rapid tree Cover loss is alarming.
Statistics from Global Forest Watch [GFW] reinforce NEMA’s concerns. West Nile districts have suffered significant tree cover loss over the past decade:
- Adjumani: Lost 7.54 kha of tree cover in 2023, resulting in 3.51 Mt of CO₂ emissions.
- Arua: Lost 197 ha in 2023, emitting 96.8 kt of CO₂.
- Moyo: Lost 118 ha, equivalent to 33.4 kt of CO₂ emissions.
- Obongi: Lost 96 ha, releasing 27.7 kt of CO₂.
- Yumbe: Lost 141 ha, equivalent to 44.5 kt of CO₂ emissions.
These losses are attributed largely to illegal logging, charcoal burning, and timber extraction.
National efforts toward recovery
Despite the worrying trends, Uganda is making progress. According to the National State of Environment Report 2024, forest cover has risen from 9 percent in 2015 to 12.7 percent. Plantation forests have more than tripled from 32,225 ha to 107,608 ha, supported by increased tree planting in both forest reserves and private land.
As Adjumani prepares to host WED 2026, NEMA hopes the event will galvanise fresh commitment to reversing decades of environmental degradation in the country.
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