The overall goal of the department is to conserve our environment so as to gain as much benefits as possible while securing the same for future generations. This department according to the restructuring is to have the following officers in place: District Natural Resources Officer; Land Management Officer; Senior Environment, Forestry Officer; Staff Surveyor; Physical Planner; Land Valuer, Registrar of Titles, Cartographer, Assistant Records Officer, Office Typist, Forest Ranger, Forest Guard and Office Attendant.
However, due to the wage bill, the department has only the District Head of Natural Resources who heads the department, District Environmental officer, Physical planner, Lands officer and records officer.
The District Environment Officer (DEO) has the role of supervising and advising on environmental matters, in addition to gathering and managing environmental information. At sub-county level, Local Environment Committees do a similar job in their respective areas. The District Environment Committee exists and the D.E.O is the secretary, while the Chairperson Works, Education and Natural resources is the Chair for District Environment Committee. Women are appointed at sub-county level to participate in these committees. DEO reports to Natural resources Officer and NEMA monthly about environmental issues that arise. Moroto District faces a declining environment. Deforestation, soil erosion, weather changes and poor health are some of environmental issues in the district. Therefore it is important that these problems are addressed through dialogue and awareness creation. These problems need to be monitored and appropriate actions taken by the departments concerned. It is, therefore, important to advocate for positive environmental activities
Environment
Environment is defined as man and his surroundings. Its management is a social responsibility of everybody and we are all entitled to health and clean environment. Environment management is a cross cutting issue which requires Sectoral integration of the respective concerns and in some cases have budgetary implications. Because of its crosscutting nature, the department depends upon Sectoral integration, which may not be priority in the respective sectors and may not be funded. The district has a District Environment Action Plan, which provides the framework for environment management in the district. It identifies the problems, the locations and the mitigation measures. This plan however needs to be reviewed and up dated.
Legal framework
Environment management is a decentralized function and as such districts plan and implement the environmental programmes. The Environment Act is a legal document, which is a very important tool for the management of the district environment and natural resources.
Lands, Surveys, Physical Planning and Urban Development
The sector is responsible for planning, survey, land valuation and processing registration of land rights and ownership.
Policy Issues
Wetlands
Wetlands are areas of land that are permanently or seasonally flooded with water. They have characteristic plants and animals adapted to such water logged conditions.
In Moroto, wetlands are not many .The main wetland systems identified include Okok-Nakodiokodioi. Fairly large seasonally flooded wooded grassland and Okere-Nangolol apolon all of them draining in to Kocholut, Kotipe and Loki dams. Most of the wetlands are seasonally flooded grasslands dominated by Hyparrhenia grass species. Several reptiles, amphibians, and bird species can be found in these wetlands. However several wetlands have been modified due to cultivation, cutting of trees for charcoal and bush fires. Ownership of these wetlands is seen as communal by the local population, raising potential for conflict between government and local communities in the management of of of these wetlands.
Policy and Legal Framework
The National Wetland \Policy was formulated to guide management of wetlands and it categorically prohibits wetland drainage unless other environmental benefits supersede. Wetland management is a decentralized function as per the Local Government Act and there fore the districts mandate.
Management of wetlands
The Wetland Sector Strategic Plan (WSSP) 2001-2010 provides the framework for wetland management in Uganda and gives details of how government is to achieve the vision for wetland management in the country. This vision states “Uganda wetlands provide benefit to the population of Uganda as a whole, mankind in general and the environment”.
The district will therefore implement activities that fit into this framework with the overall goal of “promoting the sustainable utilization of wetlands through the adoption of the wise use principles while optimizing community benefits”.
