Journal of Global Ecology and Environment

Loss of Forest Ecosystem due to Refugee Settlement: An Analysis of Underlying Causes at Bugoma Central Forest Reserve in Kyangwali Sub-Country, Kikuube District, Western Uganda

Journal of Global Ecology and Environment, Volume 19, Issue 1, Page 40-50
DOI: 10.56557/jogee/2023/v19i18423

Abstract


Refugees who are settled around Bugoma Central Forest Reserve in Kyangwali Sub-County, Kikuube District have influenced the conservation and protection of the forest ecosystem. Adopting a cross-section research design, 265 respondents from Kyangwali Sub-County, Kikuube District were involved in the study using a questionnaire survey. Findings revealed an increase in charcoal burning by 26.4% and an increase in the cultivation of crops in Bugoma Central Forest Reserve by 19.6%. These activities are responsible for increasing vegetation cover within Bugoma CFR. There is increasing stone quarrying at 38.5% and agricultural intensification in some catchment areas (41.8%) within the Bugoma Central Forest Reserve. There is increasing forest degradation in Bugoma Central Forest Reserve by refugees. The Government of Uganda should enforce strict rules when resettling refugees to ensure that they don’t encroach on the forest reserves near their settlement.

Keywords:
  • Refugee settlements
  • forest degradation
  • Bugoma CFR
  • Uganda

How to Cite

Kusuro, M., Odong, O. D., & Rusoke, T. (2023). Loss of Forest Ecosystem due to Refugee Settlement: An Analysis of Underlying Causes at Bugoma Central Forest Reserve in Kyangwali Sub-Country, Kikuube District, Western Uganda. Journal of Global Ecology and Environment, 19(1), 40–50. https://doi.org/10.56557/jogee/2023/v19i18423

References

UNHCR. Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees; 1967. Available:https://www.unhcr.org/protect/PROTECTION/3b66c2aa10.pdf

Theodore N. The role of refugee settlements in the transformation of conflicts: A comparative perspective. Journal of Refugee Studies. 2000; 13(3): 243-263.

UNHCR. Resettlement Handbook; 2008. Available:https://www.unhcr.org/47f1d9862.pdf

UNHCR. Global Trends: Forced Displacement in 2016; 2016.

Available: https://www.unhcr.org/

Turner L. Environmental management in Refugee-Affected Areas: A Review of Experience and Good Practice. Environmental Impact Assessment Review. 2009; 29(2):89-109.

UNHCR. Uganda - Refugee Statistics Snapshot; 2018.

Available: https://data2.unhcr.org/en/documents/download/68415

Hammer D, Harper AB, Rinne T. Environmental Impacts of Forced Displacement: A Systematic Review of the Evidence. Environmental Research Letters. 2021; 16(2):023001.

Kagoda AM. Environmental impact of refugees and internally displaced persons: A case study of Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in Hoima District, Uganda. International Journal of Environmental Studies. 2006; 63(4):421-432.

NFA. Forest Encroachment by Refugees in Uganda: The Case of Bugoma Forest; 2019.

Available:https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/5ccf01e64.pdf

Matt GE. Efficiency measurement: A locative framework. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Economics and Finance; 2018.

Hardin G. The tragedy of the commons. Science. 1968; 162(3859):1243-1248.

Ostrom E. A general framework for analyzing sustainability of social-ecological systems. Science. 2009; 325(5939):419-422.

Aldron J. Refugee camp environments: The ecological impacts of human settlements in eastern Africa. Environmental Review. 2015; 24(4):303-317.

Kagwanja P. Livelihood Impacts of Range Degradation in Refugee Hosting Areas. Journal of Sustainable Livelihoods. 2019;18(1):78-92.

Sen S. Environmental impact of refugee camps: The case of Bhutanese refugees in Nepal. Environmental Justice; 2015.

Harrell-Bond B. Planning for Sustainable Energy Supply in Refugee Settlements. Journal of Refugee Studies. 2006;28(4): 512-527.

Marc E, Borgitte T. Sustainable Woodfuel Harvesting and Restoration Interventions in Refugee-Affected Areas. Forest Management and Conservation. 2001; 15(3):256-273.

Geneva L. Competition and Tensions in Refugee-Hosting Areas: A Case Study. Conflict and Cooperation Research. 2015; 34(2):145-162.

Geneva L. Responsible Planning for Firewood and Charcoal Use in Refugee-Affected Areas. Energy and Environment Journal. 2019;36 (1):89-104.

Popper K. The logic of scientific discovery. Routledge; 2011.

Creswell JW. Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage Publications; 2009.

Thomas RM. Blending qualitative and quantitative research methods in theses and dissertations. Corwin Press; 2017.

Scauso A. Quantitative research. In the sage encyclopedia of communication research methods. SAGE Publications. 2020;1241-1243.

Watson R. Quantitative research methods: Four ways to obtain the desired information. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 2015;24(5-6):622-625.

Shang L. Quantitative research methods. In the handbook of research on digital content, mobile learning, and technology integration models in Teacher Education. IGI Global. 2019;21-40.

Cinarbas H, Has DH. Advantages and disadvantages of qualitative research. Journal of Turkish Research Institute. 2016;9(2):1-10.

Akbar S. Qualitative research methods: The researcher is a primary instrument for data collection and analysis. Qualitative Methodologies in Organization Studies: Volume I: Theories and New Approaches. 2018;91-113.

Chandra D, Shang L. Qualitative research methods. In Handbook of Research on Digital Content, Mobile Learning, and Technology Integration Models in Teacher Education. IGI Global. 2019;1-20.

Bhandari PM. Qualitative research: An effective research method to explore social and economic issues in public health. Journal of Chitwan Medical College. 2020; 10(2):97-100.

NFA. Bugoma Ecotourism Site; 2023.

Available:https://www.nfa.go.ug/: https://www.nfa.go.ug/index.php/11-eco-tourism/99-bugoma-ecotourism-site

Schreckenberg K, Luttrell C, Aglionby J, Brook RM, Mohammed C. Charcoal production and environmental management in Tanzania: Historical and modern roles of forests, woodlands, and trees. Environmental Science & Policy. 2006;9(5):442-457.

Freeman OE, Ochieng J, Muchiri MN. Food security and sustainable land use in refugee hosting areas: A case study from Nakivale, Uganda. Journal of Rural Studies. 2018;61:1-12.

Chidumayo E, Gumbo D. The environmental impacts of charcoal production in tropical ecosystems of the world: A synthesis. Energy for Sustainable Development. 2013;17(2):86-94.

Sunderlin WD. Woodfuels, livelihoods, and policy interventions: Changing perspectives. World Development. 2015; 68:242-253.

  • 36 times
    PDF Download: 3 times

Download Statistics

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Current Issue

Subscription

Login to access subscriber-only resources.

Information