The Global Forest Watch (GFW) an online mapping platform as well as a Forest Watcher mobile app premiered last week in Uganda at the Golf Course Hotel located in the capital Kampala during a one-day workshop, where the chief guest was the State Minister of Environment Honorable Flavia Nabugera Munaaba.

This app has been tried by the staff of NFA (National Forestry Authority), Forest Monitors as well as rangers, in a number of forests including Kasyoha Kitomi Central Forest reserves,Budongo, Kibale National Park, Bugoma and Kalinzu, and has also been tested by private forest owners including Budongo-Bugoma Chimpanzee Corridor over the past 6 months.

Prior to the premiering, a video clip on the best testers along with their respective accounts of success of this Forest Watcher app was performed for the guests.

Represented were development partners including USAID (United Stated Agency for International Development), DFID UK (Department for International Development), Norwegian Climate and Forests Initiative, GEF (Global Environment Facility), Tila Fund, civil society representatives, the media and government agencies.

Lilian Pintea the Vice President of Conservation Science at the Jane Goodall Institute, is a specialist with over 20 yrs of experience using Geographic Information Systems and satellite imagery

Regarding how it works, he stated that this app is an internet based monitoring as well as alert system which gives the most recent, dependable, and workable information regarding what is taking place in forests throughout the world. It combines satellite technology, with human networks, to indicate how and where the forests are transforming, who is utilizing them, as well as how we can aid in preserving them for generations to come. In addition, GFW is free of charge for anyone to use and can easily be understood.

The app is particularly important to UWA – the Uganda Wildlife Authority and NFA – National Forests Authority, both government organizations which were present at the premiering. These organizations are required to manage the wildlife protected areas, reserves as well as forests across the country, and therefore, they will be in position to utilize GFW to impose laws better, monitor concessions, as well as detect unlawful deforestation.

Other users, including Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) will use this app to recognize deforestation locations in almost real-time, assemble action, as well as collect proof to have government plus organizations account for commitments related to the forests, as local communities will be able to upload alerts plus photos whenever encroachment occurs on their forest lands. also Buyers of top commodities will be in the position to monitor compliance of their suppliers with the appropriate laws, responsibilities, as well as certification standards as their suppliers will be required to show that their products are legally produced and not de-forestated. Furthermore, the media will be expected to put to spotlight the movements in deforestation.

During the past century, forests in Uganda have faced extreme pressures primarily from agricultural conversion due to increasing population, increasing demand in urban centers for charcoal, excessive grazing, unrestrained harvesting of timber plus weak laws and enforcement policies. This has been worsened by political expedience which was most evident during the campaign period that recently ended where politicians were seen to be in coalition with encroachers against environmental conservationists plus the concerned authorities so as to earn favor with the different local constituents.

Just A year ago, over 7,000 people who had illegally inhabited Guramwa Central Forest Reserve located in Western Uganda for more than 10 years were eventually evicted following an unexpected twist of events, and an appeal by the National Forest Authority, and the magistrate ruled that the previous court blundered in its ruling back in 2000 by giving a verdict that the people should inhabit the forest area.

The premiering of this GFW app is a game changer in offering timely modern technology plus information regarding deforestation never obtained before, and will with luck, save Uganda’s forests and varied wildlife and the wildlife itself. Anyone can be motivated to play their responsibility role through browsing the app-store on globalforestwatch.org containing tools that are designed to tackle particular forest aspects.

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