The Ministry of Water and Environment has banned commercial charcoal trade and timber production in Gulu District to combat environmental degradation.
In a January 11 letter, the State Minister for Environment, Ms Beatrice Atim Anywar told the chief administrative officer about the new directive. “All issuance of forest produce movement documentation for charcoal or timber from Gulu District regardless of the source is forthwith suspended, except for harvests meant for local consumption within the district,” she said.
Ms Anywar said the forest produce permit books at the district have also been recalled. “Most of these documents manifest a lack of on-site verification before issuance of movement permits, thereby leading to under declaration of forest produce, and poor regulation of species used to make charcoal,” she said.
The ban comes at a time Gulu District has lost the vast majority of its 590,000 hectares of tree cover to illegal logging and charcoal burning. According to the Global Forest Watch, the district lost 988 hectares to these activities in 2021 alone.
“The Ministry established that charcoal and timber dealers target areas that are relatively forested, buy harvesting rights from land owners at a very small fee, and then harvest all trees in sight including uprooting tree stumps which are later converted into timber and charcoal ,” Ms Anywar said.
