Research and Other Publications
Developing Effective Environmental Laws and Policies
Improving the Legal Regime for Managing Uganda’s Forests
Over the past fifty years, Uganda’s forests have come under increased pressure from timber companies, urban and agricultural expansion, and people seeking new sources of charcoal for cooking. The primary legal authority governing forests has been a colonial relic, a law that emphasizes exploitation over conservation. To address the new opportunities presented by decentralization and community-based natural resource management, as well as the challenges posed by modern timber technology and increased pressures, the government of Uganda has undertaken to draft a new act to manage its forests. Together with the American Bar Association, ELI was requested to review and comment on the 2001 draft Forestry Act. For this work, ELI drew upon its network of US and African environmental lawyers to assess not only the technical and legal merits of the proposed law, but also the likelihood that it will be successful in the social and economic context of Uganda. ELI submitted its final analysis of the draft Forestry Act in July 2001.
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