Environment

The Department of Natural Resources is comprised of the Forestry, Environment, and Lands sectors.

Staffing Levels of the Department:

Equipment

The department has the following equipments

• One Vehicle
• One Motor cycle
• One Computer set and accessories
• One GPS
  

Funding

The Department has the following sources of funding

Environment and Natural Resources grant

Departmental Allocation (local Revenue and unconditional grant)

District Livelihood support Programme. DLSP

Natural Resources Office

The office has been monitoring, supervising and coordinating the implementation of all the activities in the various sectors i.e. lands, environment and forestry as below:

State of natural resources in the district

Mayuge district is endowed with a variety of natural resources ranging from Lake Victoria, sand and stone fields, wetlands and streams, hills, forests etc.

Relief features

Mayuge district is relatively flat with high ridges and isolated hills, adulating lowlands and perch vents. The hills are linear and of a cur vex nature scope between 2% and 8% and almost flat valleys of scope less than 2%.

The lowest point of 1200m above sea level is found in the north. The district has a long shoreline of Lake Victoria in the south with 6 islands forming part of the islands

Lake shores

The national environment (management of lake shores/wetlands/riverbanks) regulations act 2000 provides for the 200m protection zone measured from the lowest water mark of the lake (Victoria). Despite the regulations, people have settled in the lake shores thereby altering the ecological setting of the lake and in the end affect productivity of this vital resource.

In addition, cultivation along the lake shores with the use of agro chemicals has resulted in formation of algal blooms in the lake. Th affects aquatic life as the amount of dissolved oxygen meant for the fish is reduced. The most affected are shores of musoli, buluuba, south central forest reserve, bukaleba central forest reserve (activities of Busoga Forest Company) and Nakalanga areas.

Wetlands

Mayuge district has approximately 400 wetlands observation points according to the wetland inventory report 2004.

90% of the wetlands have been reclaimed to agricultural land especially sugarcane, rice and vegetable growing. This situation has been worsened with the coming of Mayuge sugar industries ltd which has done much in establishing sugarcane estates in the wetlands and swamps of mpungwe and buwaya sub counties.

The most affected sub counties are baitambogwe, wairasa, imanyiro, and bukatube with almost all wetlands and swamps changed into sugarcane plantations. Mpungwe, buwaya, kigandalo, and kityerera sub counties are about to join the que if the situation is not checked.

Conversion of all land and fragile ecosystems into sugarcane plantations has serious environmental implications ranging from food insecurity and drought as it is being experienced in baitambogwe, kakira, wandago, and magamaga and wairasa areas. However, a number of interventions such as the formulation of community based wetland management plans for vital wetlands like kabeere, kyankuzi, lumbuye, katunda bay etc. are being put in place and the operationalization of the Mayuge natural resources ordinance 2009 is a great medicine to the problem.