Fw: RAINFOREST ALERT: Protest Plans to Destroy Uganda's Few Remaining Rainforests for Plantations

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ACTION ALERT

Protest Plans to Destroy Uganda's Few Remaining Rainforests for

Plantations

 

Rainforest Portal, a project of Ecological Internet, Inc.

http://www.rainforestportal.org/

December 15, 2006

 

TAKE ACTION

Let the Ugandan President and Parliament know rainforests and

their ecological services are more valuable than sugar and oil

palm production

http://www.rainforestportal.org/alerts/send.asp?id=uganda

 

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is pursuing legally dubious

plans to destroy much of Uganda's last few rainforests to grow

palm oil and sugar cane crops. Uganda has long been facing a

deforestation crisis, with forests covering 20 percent of Uganda

40 years ago, but now just covering seven percent. Loss of

forest cover in Uganda has had devastating ecological impacts

which will be intensified by the proposed projects.

Deforestation has been directly responsible for declining levels

of waters in Lake Victoria and the River Nile, resulting in a

scarcity of drinking water and reduction in hydroelectric energy

production. The whole matter seems to reflect a desperate power

grab by the President to reward cronies under false and illusory

promises of industrialization. The government has no legal

mandate to give out constitutionally protected forest reserves

to be cut down by private companies. Please contact President

Yoweri Museveni, the entire Ugandan parliament, and Ugandan

ministries and embassies and insist that these projects be

abandoned, and Uganda's remaining rainforest strictly protected

as ecological reserves while restoring forests where they

historically occurred.

 

TAKE ACTION NOW at:

http://www.rainforestportal.org/alerts/send.asp?id=uganda

 

Discuss this alert at:

http://www.rainforestportal.org/issues/2006/12/alert_protest_plans_to_destro

y.asp