Press coverage: Daily Monitor, Tuesday 2 December 2025, page 9 (advert feature). Original title: "National Anti-Wildlife Crime Coordination Task Force agrees on strong measures to safeguard Bugoma Central Forest Reserve from encroachment." Reproduced here as part of the Task Force's media coverage. A copy of the article is available from the Secretariat (E-copy of NWCCTF article DM.pdf).
Hoima City, Uganda.
The National Anti-Wildlife Crime Coordination Task Force has reaffirmed its commitment to protecting and restoring Bugoma Central Forest Reserve following a two-day Judicial and Security Awareness Meeting held in Hoima City on 22 to 23 October 2025.
In recent years, about 6,000 hectares of Bugoma forest land have been encroached upon for illegal timber logging, charcoal burning and food crop cultivation. Speaking at the high-level meeting, the Task Force Coordinator decried the extent of forest destruction and called for immediate joint action by all government agencies. He emphasized that forest protection is a national security concern, warning that continued neglect could allow infiltration by armed groups. One member present noted that "Anyone interfering with forest land does so at their own risk."
Regarded as one of Uganda's most important biodiversity and carbon reservoirs in the Albertine Rift, Bugoma CFR was gazetted in 1932 and covers 41,144 hectares in Kikuube District. The forest safeguards vital watersheds feeding Rivers Nkuse and Rutoha, which drain into Lake Albert. It acts as a major carbon sink, regulating climate, rainfall and air quality, and harbors over 500 tree species, 20 mammal species (including Mangabey and other monkeys, and chimpanzees) and more than 200 bird species, making it a biodiversity hotspot. Bugoma also controls soil erosion, maintains soil fertility, supports pollinators, and sustains water supply for surrounding communities.
The law enforcement officers in attendance commended the Task Force's approach and urged stronger collaboration with the judiciary to expedite injunction reviews and forest-related cases. They described the meeting as a turning point in reconciling land governance, justice and conservation interests in Bunyoro. "Protecting forests is a generational duty; it is never too late to act," emphasized one of the officers.
The Task Force called for stronger legal sanctions, increased funding and enhanced security deployment, reiterating that the National Forestry and Tree Planting Act (2003) provides a clear legal framework for the gazettement of forest reserves.
Uganda currently has 506 Central Forest Reserves and 191 Local Forest Reserves, contributing 8.7% ($4.4 billion) to the national economy.
Key actions agreed
The meeting resolved to:
- Cancel all illegal land titles within Bugoma Forest.
- Reopen and demarcate forest boundaries to separate Hoima Sugar's lease from protected forest land.
- Establish a strategic mediation team to engage the Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom and Hoima Sugar Limited on sustainable coexistence.
- Deploy UPDF personnel to secure critical forest blocks from encroachment.
- Ascertain the prevailing number of current court injunctions to facilitate forest restoration.
- Include the Attorney General's Chambers, the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, and the Judiciary as focal institutions on the Task Force.
This latest engagement brought together representatives from the Judiciary, Security Forces, National Forestry Authority (NFA), Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), Financial Intelligence Authority (FIA), Internal and External Security Organizations (ISO and ESO), the Ministry of Water and Environment, the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Resident District Commissioners, and development partners including UNODC, to strengthen inter-agency coordination against environmental crimes.
The meeting concluded with a unified call among government agencies to restore Bugoma CFR and uphold Uganda's constitutional mandate to protect forests and wildlife for present and future generations. It was the third engagement the Task Force has held since June 2025 to tackle illegal land titles, encroachment, deforestation and forest degradation in Bugoma.
The Task Force receives support from UNODC under its project "Combating Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Uganda through the Criminal Justice System," made possible through funding provided by the European Union (EU) and Denmark under the EU-Uganda Forest Partnership and Programme.
Issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority, the Chair and Secretariat of the National Anti-Wildlife Crime Coordination Task Force. For more information, contact the Secretariat of the National Anti-Wildlife Crime Coordination Task Force.
