environment 30 September 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Uganda Adopts Natural Regeneration to Restore 8.4 Million Hectares
The Ugandan government is promoting Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) as a cost-effective strategy to restore approximately 8.4 million hectares of degraded land. Despite recent gains in forest cover, the rate of restoration still lags behind the significant loss experienced since 1990. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/govt-pushes-natural-regeneration-to-restore-8-4-million-hectares-5615458
Uganda is increasingly turning to natural regeneration as a primary strategy to combat widespread land degradation and boost forest cover. The Ministry of Water and Environment is championing Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR), an approach that empowers communities to nurture and manage naturally sprouting trees and shrubs from existing root systems and stumps.
This method offers a more economical alternative to widespread seedling planting, a crucial advantage given the high demand for restoration interventions. An assessment has identified a substantial 8.4 million hectares across the country with significant potential for restoration using FMNR.
Despite a recent increase in overall tree cover, from around 10 percent in 2015 to 12.7 percent in 2024, officials express concern. Bob Kazungu, Assistant Commissioner for Forestry Monitoring, highlighted that forest loss continues to outpace restoration efforts. Since 1990, Uganda has lost nearly half its forest cover, declining from 4.55 million hectares to 2.37 million by 2025, according to the Global Forest Resource Assessment 2025.
Factors contributing to this ongoing loss include agricultural expansion, demand for fuel wood and charcoal, illegal logging, population growth, and governance challenges. While monoculture plantations of species like eucalyptus and pine have boosted aggregate tree cover, the government aims for a better balance with indigenous tree species.
FMNR is recognized within Uganda’s forestry standards as a technically straightforward and inexpensive restoration technique. Its benefits extend beyond increased tree cover to include improved soil fertility, enhanced biodiversity, greater food security, and increased climate resilience.
Organizations like World Vision Uganda are actively involved, with plans to restore 2.3 million hectares. The FMNR movement has grown substantially since its inception, with community-led initiatives showing promising results. However, challenges such as limited resources, coordination issues, competing land uses, and climate variability remain.
Accelerating the adoption of FMNR from project-level initiatives to a national scale is seen as vital for ensuring sustained restoration efforts and meeting national and international ecosystem restoration targets.