Africa-Press – Uganda. With the commercial discoveries of oil and gas in the Albetinegraben, and the ongoing transition from exploration to development phase, a lot of environmental concerns have been observed.
The recently concluded parliamentary election present the Bunyoro parliamentary caucus with majority of new leaders representing different constituencies an opportunity to promote conservation of natural resources in the Albertine region. The new leaders should put efforts to link leadership and the natural environment.
The newly-elected leaders should also work with the Parliament’s Committee on Natural Resources and other stakeholders to address the complex era of environmental destruction, including the cutting down of parts of Bugoma forest.
Some of the encroachments have led to distortion of weather in the area such as flooding of fish landing sites. There are also dry spells and massive ruin of the eco system.
We the voters are now demanding for environment justice through enacting and implementing relevant policies and laws to protect the remaining forests or restore the already degraded eco systems.
The next stages in the oil and gas sector have huge negative impacts on the environment hence leaders must prioritise environmental issues to balance development and environment.
Bunyoro leaders should lobby other stakeholders to help in promoting the conservation of natural resources in Bunyoro to enable the coexistence of communities and wildlife. They should also develop and adopt strategies to communicate, understand and collaborate on diverse disciplines and traditions to find lasting solutions on problems of the environment.
Sandra Atusinguza, [email protected]
