Nyabyeya Central Forest Reserve

Nyabyeya Central Forest Reserve is a forest reserve located in Masindi District, Western Uganda, Bujenje County, Budongo sub-county, and Nyabyeya parish in western Uganda.[1][2] It is part of the extensive network of Central Forest Reserves managed by the National Forestry Authority (NFA) in Uganda. This forest reserve covers an area of about 358.06 hectares.[1] Nyabyeya Forest Reserve was created to train students in forestry under the Nyabyeya Forestry College.[3][4][2]

Nyabyeya Central Forest Reserve
Nyabyeya Forest
Map showing the location of Nyabyeya Central Forest Reserve
Map showing the location of Nyabyeya Central Forest Reserve
Located in Uganda
LocationMasindi District, Western Region, Uganda
Coordinates1°41′5″N 31°31′19″E
Area358.06 hectares
Governing bodyNational Forestry Authority (NFA)

Location and Geography

Nyabyeya Central Forest Reserve borders the Budongo Tropical Rain forest.[1] It is located about 500 meters away from the bigger Budongo Central Forest Reserve. Masindi District, which is in northwest Uganda, is where the reserve is situated. Nyabyeya Central Forest Reserve is about a 1.5-hour drive from Masindi, the closest market town.[5][6] The forest reserve is located between latitudes 10 401 and 10 421 and longitudes 310 321 and 310 331 and is surrounded by a network of roads that serve as fire breaks and compartment boundaries.

Flora and Fauna

The forest within Nyabyeya Central Forest Reserve consists of diverse vegetation types, including moist semi-deciduous forests and forest plantations predominantly composed of pine and eucalyptus species. The reserve is home to a variety of plant and animal species, contributing to the rich biodiversity of the region.

Management and Conservation

The National Forestry Authority (NFA) in Uganda oversees the management of Nyabyeya Central Forest Reserve as a component of the Central Forest Reserve system. All 506 of Uganda's Central Forest Reserves, which together comprise around 12,657.47 square kilometers and make up 6.3% of the country's total land area, are managed by the NFA.

The NFA's main goal is to safeguard and conserve the natural forest resources that are present in these reserves. Timber harvesting, re-planting, and other lawful activities may be included in management activities with the goal of preserving the ecological balance and using forest resources sustainably.[7]

Nyabyeya Central Forest Reserve was gazetted in 1998 under the Forest Reserves (Declaration) Order, serial number MS/15.[8][3] The forest spans 358.59 hectares and is separated into six compartments. Other forest estate lands total 67.01 hectares, including natural belts.[2][8] In 2020, Wildlife Conservation Society began restoration of forest cover and boundary marking of several Central Forest Reserves, including for Nyabyeya forest reserve. Alongside Nyabyeya forest reserve, restoration efforts also focused on two other Central Forest Reserves including Rwensama and Itwara.

Threats

The forest reserve is threatened by human activities which including the land giveaway to Makerere University on August 2018.[9] Nyabyeya Forestry College gave away 10 hectares of land to the university's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. The forest has also lost revenue where Makerere University was not paying ground rent for a students' hostel.[10][9] Forest fires have also affected parts of the forest reserve because the predominant vegetation is characterized with elephant grass, and woody vegetation which pose a high risk for forest fires.[2][8] Nyabyeya forest reserve also has high incidence of pests and diseases such as termites, leptocybe invasa and pine wilt targeting eucalyptus and pine compartments respectively.[2][11]

See also

References
  1. "Central Catchment". National Parks Board. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
  2. Amon, Bazirake. "Management Plan for Nyabyeya Forestry College Plantation Masindi District". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. Plumptre, A. (2002, October). Extent and Status of the Forests in the Ugandan Albertine Rift. https://programs.wcs.org. https://programs.wcs.org/portals/49/media/file/albertineriftforeststatusextent.pdf
  4. Parliament of Uganda. (2010, April 8). Report of the standing committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises on the performance of the National Forestry Authority from 2004 to 2007. Kampala; Office of the clerk to Parliament.
  5. "NFA News". www.nfa.go.ug. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
  6. Zommers, Zinta; MacDONALD, David W. (2012). "Protected Areas as Frontiers for Human Migration". Conservation Biology. 26 (3): 547–556. ISSN 0888-8892.
  7. "World environment 2021 commemorated in Nyabyeya forestry college". New Vision. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
  8. Chemari, Oscar; Orikiriza, Lawrence J. B. (2013). "Effects of Fires on the Invasiveness of Lantana camara in Forest Plantations". Open Science Repository Natural Resources and Conservation (open–access): e23050446. doi:10.7392/openaccess.23050446.
  9. Wamai, Mark (2018-08-16). "Nyabyeya Forestry College Hands Over 10hectares to Enhance Mak's Practical Forestry Training". Makerere University News. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  10. OFFICE OF THE AUDITOR GENERAL UGANDA. (2018, June 30). Report of the auditor general on the financial statements of Nyabeya ... https://www.oag.go.ug. https://www.oag.go.ug/storage/reports/TOU_CG_AGCY_2017_18_1646047233.pdf
  11. "Executive order No3: Museveni bans charcoal trade, guides on the Balaalo". Monitor. 2023-05-25. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
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