Uganda to replace forest reserve with sugar plantation - DPA

[Eugene]

Uganda to replace forest reserve with sugar plantation
Posted on : Wed, 21 Mar 2007 11:39:00 GMT | Author : DPA
News Category : Environment

Kampala - The Ugandan government has approved a controversial plan to cut
down over 7000 acres of the country's largest forest and ecological reserve
to pave way for a sugar plantation, officials confirmed Wednesday.
Environmentalists are saying that the move to cut down Mabira Forest Reserve
in central Uganda will have devastating effects on the rainfall pattern and
the water level of Lake Victoria which has already gone down over the years
due to environment degradation.

Environmental groups are opposed to turning the richly endowed 32,000 acre
forest into a sugarcane plantation, arguing that it is not only a potential
tourism hub but also host to a variety of animals including endangered
monkey species as well as 300 bird species.

According to a government-controlled newspaper, The New Vision, cabinet
has approved the cutting down of part of the forest. Prime Minister Apollo
Nsibambi has directed the environment minister to table the motion to
parliament.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/42578.html


(Reuters)

Uganda PM approves clearing of rainforest-paper
21 Mar 2007 15:11:55 GMT
Source: Reuters


By Tim Cocks

KAMPALA, March 21 (Reuters) - Uganda's prime minister has approved a plan
for thousands of hectares of a rainforest nature reserve to be replaced by a
sugarcane plantation, the state-owned New Vision daily said on Wednesday.

Government officials told Reuters they were not aware of Prime Minister Apolo
Nsibambi's decision to give part of Mabira Forest -- one of the east African
country's last remaining patches of natural forest -- to a local sugar company.

The government's own paper cited a letter from Nsibambi to Environment
Minister Maria Mutagamba.

-snip-

Last year, President Yoweri Museveni ordered a study into the possibility of
axing 7,000 hectares (17,000 acres) or nearly a third of Mabira Forest, which
has been a nature reserve since 1932, to expand the sugar estate of the
private Mehta Group.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L21587940.htm

[Richard D]

1. Ethanol?

[jpak]

2. Yes - it's ethanol: destroyer of worlds - even if there is no mention of this in the links

Greedy corrupt government officials who will profit from this travesty have nothing to do with it whatsoever...

:eyes:

[phantom power]

4. And when they find out they can sell even more for biofuel crops...

what do you think these greedy government officials are going to do?

[jpak]

8. And your evidence for this is????

absolutely nada

[phantom power]

9. You're right. I'm busted.

I'm sure that these people, whom you yourself have identified as "greedy and corrupt" are going to spare the rest of their forests. They're going to say "Well, I could make more money by cutting down more of my forests to grow crops for American E85 and biodiesel autos, but that would be wrong, and I shant do it!"

I can't prove they won't do this. Just like the Grinch, whose heart grew three sizes that famous day.
:eyes:

[jpak]

10. You're so easy

:evilgrin:

[RaleighNCDUer]

5. Not out of the question - Mehta Group is an international with

diverse interests --

India Cement Saurashtra Cement Limited
Gujarat Sidhee Cement Limited
Consultancy Agrima Consultants International
International Trade Mehta Private Limited

Africa (Uganda) Management and Finance Transafrica Assurance Company Limited
Transafrica Commerce Limited
Sugar Sugar Corporation of Uganda Limited
Engineering Ugma Engineering Corp. Limited
Cables Cable Corporation Limited
Floriculture Uganda Hortech Limited

Africa (Kenya) Agro-Chemicals Agro Chemicals and Food Company Limited
Liaison Office Mehta Sons (A) Limited

North America Packaging Monarch Plastics Limited
Swissplas Limited
Monarch Plastics Inc.

UK Liaison Office The Mehta Development Company Limited

[phantom power]

3. A vision of the biofuel future.

[jpak]

7. Please tell us all about uranium mining in Gabon, Niger, Namibia and S. Africa

just for shits and giggles - and the effect on forests, water supplies, local populations, etc.

There is no evidence that this is related to biofuels whatsoever...

lalalalalalala

[phantom power]

11. We've both been in this movie before, but OK.

Given that the energy density of uranium is, oh, a million times greater than ethanol or biodiesel, what is going to have the greater environmental impact? The millions upon millions of acres of new cropland that will be necessary to make (as GG shows) a lousy 10% of the fuel we currrently use, or these uranium mines, which can provide far more total energy?

The total environmental impact isn't even close. Even if those mines are run as badly as humanly possible. Even if every miner dies of cancer, it's not even close.

[jpak]

12. Low grade uranium ores require much more energy (and GHG) to process

and large amounts of overburden need to be removed.

The abandoned French uranium mines in Niger affect a much larger area than these proposed (non-ethanol) Ugandan sugar plantations and effect the lives of more people to boot.

When the oil wells run dry, we will thank our lucky stars there are biofuels available to sustain agriculture and public transit in this country...

;)

[GliderGuider]

6. Forests are over-rated anyway. Who needs 'em?

They're messy and full of squirrel shit. Sugar plantations are much more orderly and there are no squirrels to worry about.