Bugoma forest was gazetted as a forest reserve in 1932 and placed under the management of the National Forestry Authority covering a total of 41,144ha. This is a tropical natural forest that is rich in biodiversity, including endangered chimpanzees. It is also a water catchment for Lake Albert and a migratory corridor for wildlife.

Recently, the National Environment Management Authority gave an approval to Hoima Sugar Ltd to cut down trees on over 5,770ha of this reserve and plant sugar canes.

It is unfortunate that a State regulatory body mandated to protect the environment would endorse the destruction of a public forest to make way for a sugar plantation that benefits a private entity.

The Rai Group has a large footprint in the manufacture of wood products in East Africa, including Kenya, and has also been implicated in the destruction of the Mau Forest in Kenya through logging, according to press reports. Mau Forest is a key water tower.

It is a catchment for crucial rivers such as the Ewaso Nyiro and the Mara rivers, whose volumes have been in decline, largely due to deforestation.

We are therefore counting on your support towards petitioning the National Environment Management Authority to cancel the certificate of approval given to Hoima Sugar Limited that is going to cause a climate crisis.