Protecting Uganda’s wetlands: A prerequisite for sustainable development

Op-Ed: Uganda’s national development ambitions are closely tied to the protection of its wetlandsand other natural resources. The country’s National Development Plan (NDP) IV recognizes sustainable natural resources management and climate resilience as critical enablers for achieving the country’s ten-fold economic growth strategy.

So as the country pursues economic transformation, protecting wetlands must remain a national priority because they support key sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, tourism and water resources that will help the country expand the GDP from $50 billion to $500 billion by 2040 through agro-industrialisation, expanding tourism assets and managing natural capital.

Wetlands are among Uganda’s most vital ecosystems that deliver critical ecological, economic, and social services. They play indispensable roles in water regulation, biodiversity conservation and carbon storage. According to the wetland strategic plan 2026, wetlands are estimated to contribute over US$1 billion per year to national income and over 80% of the population directly use wetland resources to meet their household food security needs.

However, despite their immense value, they continue to face escalating threats from human activities, threatening the ecosystem system services on which millions of people depend on. They are increasingly being degraded by land use conversion, pollution, unsustainable resource extraction, and impacts of climate change. These threats have been further intensified by the expansion of Uganda’s oil and gas industrythrough projects such as Tilenga, Kingfisher and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).

Notably, Uganda is developing its oil reserves in partnership with TotalEnergies E&P and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). While these projects are expected to contribute to economic growth, they however pass through the ecologically sensitive wetlands placing critical ecosystems at risk.

According to the new research conducted by Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO) between March and June 2026, several oil pipelines including the Victoria Nile Pipeline crossing under the Tilenga project, the Kingfisher feeder pipeline and the EACOP traverse important wetland ecosystemssuch as the world-renown and biodiversity-teeming Murchison Falls-Albert Delta Ramsar wetland system, partly located in MFNP and is part of the Victoria Nile basin.

They are also crossing the Kibale/Bukoora wetland, one of the most important in the multi-million Sango Bay-Musambwa Island-Kagera(SAMUKA) Ramsar wetland system which is part of the Lake Victoria basin and Kafu wetland as well as other wetlands belonging to the Lake Albert basin.

These wetlands contain extensive swamp forests, support rich biodiversity, provide habitat for numerous wildlife species and sustain thousands of small-holder farmers and fishing communities. however,oil and gas activities threaten their ecological integrity and the livelihoods they support.

According to the National Wetlands Strategic plan (2026), the intact wetlands of Uganda currently cover a total area of 22,457.4 km2, representing 9.3% of the country’s surface area. Although this is an improvement from 8.9% recorded in 2019, it remains significantly below the 15.6% wetland coverage recorded in 1994, indicating a decline in the last 30 years.It is noted that since 2000, Uganda has lost over 7,500 square Kilo metre of wetlands, with only 8.6% remaining relatively undisturbed. This loss is already increasing flood risk, degrading water quality and undermining climate resilience, particularly in oil rich regions such as Hoima and greater Masaka where oil activities are taking place.

Uganda’s Vision 2040 targets restoring and maintaining intact wetland coverage at 13% of the country’s land surface area, emphasizing environmental sustainability alongside economic growth. Therefore, to meet this target, Uganda must prioritize the protection of wetlands by strictly enforcing environmental laws and ensuring that all oil and gas projects comply with national regulations and international environmental standards. No infrastructure should be permitted to degrade critical wetland ecosystems without rigorous environmental oversight, continuous monitoring and effective mitigation measures.

Uganda’s wetlands are not merely environmental assets, they are the foundation of the country’s economic prosperity, climate resilience, water security, biodiversity conservation and the livelihoods of millions of citizens. While oil and gas developments may contribute to economic developments, it should not really come at the cost of degrading ecosystems that sustain millions of Ugandans

The author is Olive Atuhaire, environmentalists.

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