Following an earlier commencement by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), a government agency responsible for the management and protection of wildlife in and outside protected areas, to obtain Certification from the FSC, this has come to pass with the body having granted a forest management certificate for three national parks.
This certification process started in 2018 when FSC launched the National Forest Stewardship Standard of the Republic of Uganda and has gone through a series of stages up to the final certificate grant.
So as to be granted the certificate, UWA launched the preparedness process to familiarise its workforce with FSC principles, criteria, and indicators
Mr. Richard Kapere, Conservation Planning Manager and in charge of FSC and Climate Change portfolios at UWA, said, “in collaboration with FSC Eastern Africa, we began a pilot project that enabled us to test the 10 FSC principles in three national parks. We appreciate the financial support provided by the WWF Uganda Country Office for this project.”
When UWA was prepared, it hired Soil Association Ltd., an audit company with FSC accreditation, to conduct evaluations in 2022.
According to Dr. Harrison Kojwang, Senior Advisor, FSC International, “the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) deserves praise for guiding the processes that culminated in the certification of three of its renowned national parks in 2022.”
“Congratulations to Ms. Annah Agasha, the coordinator of FSC Eastern Africa, who worked closely with UWA to achieve such a big milestone for Eastern Africa. It is an accomplishment of tremendous proportions. I am hoping that other Eastern Africa governments will follow, expanding the area of the continent that is FM-certified and growing the prospects for applying the FSC’s ecosystem services procedure. “
With a combined area of 211,100 ha, the three parks—Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (BINP), Rwenzori Mountains National Park (RMNP), and Kibale National Park (KNP)—represent one of the largest increases in FSC Forest Management (FM) certified area in Eastern Africa in a single year.
UWA is hopeful that the FSC certification will contribute to even better management of protected areas.
By implementing FSC standards, it hopes to improve tourism, forest management, brand development, and public trust.
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