The World Bank (WB) has approved funding a tree planting project in Uganda to help the East African country control current climate change.

The project, which will make Uganda the first African country to benefit from the World Bank's Bio-carbon Fund, is to be implemented by Uganda's National Forestry Authority (NFA) in Rwoho forest, western Uganda.

"This is NFA's first carbon project and it will enable the World Bank to buy 260 tons of carbon dioxide equivalents from NFA. NFA is going to invest about 2 million U.S. dollars over a period of 5 years to implement the project," NFA team leader for Carbon portfolio Xavier Mugumya was quoted by Daily Monitor on Saturday as saying.

Mugumya revealed that both indigenous and non-indigenous tree species like pine, prunus and Musizi would be planted on 2,000 hectares, adding that NFA is collaborating with three community groups around the forest under its Collaborative Forest Management arrangement to help implement the project.

He said NFA has signed agreements with community groups in Mbarara, Isingiro and Ntungamo, which provide negotiations on what the communities will gain from the forest.

In 2005, NFA submitted to the WB a proposal for the carbon sequestration project. In October 2006, Uganda became the first African country to sign a contract with WB for tree planting as part of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

Scientific research shows that the current climate change, which is characterized by global warming, has been caused by greenhouse gas emissions, mainly from industrialized countries.

Industrialized countries all over the world that are signatories to the Kyoto Protocol have quotas for emissions. When they exceed the quota, they are liable to a fine payable to the WB in form of Bio-carbon Fund.

The CDM, under the Kyoto Protocol and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, provides a framework for participation of developing countries in international efforts to address the current climate change.

Source: Xinhua