Comparison of Philippines Mangrove project with Kasese Bamboo restorations in Uganda
Kasese District, nestled at the foot of the Rwenzori Mountains in western Uganda near Lake George, mirrors the Philippines' vulnerability to climate-amplified disasters like Typhoon Haiyan, but through devastating floods and landslides rather than coastal surges. Both regions suffer ecosystem degradation—mangroves cleared for aquaculture there, forests felled for farming here—leaving communities exposed to intensified hazards from changing rainfall patterns and glacial melt.
In Kasese, natural hazards such as flash floods, landslides, and droughts have surged in frequency due to climate change, with erratic heavy rains (up to 700mm monthly) triggering over 20 major events since 2014, displacing thousands and claiming lives amid rising temperatures of 1.3°C since the 1960s. The steep Rwenzori slopes and River Semliki basin amplify risks, unlike the Philippines' island typhoons, hitting hardest in low-lying sub-counties like Kichwamba and Bwera where poverty exceeds 40% and populations top 800,000.
Most affected are smallholder farmers and pastoralists dependent on rain-fed crops like maize and bananas, and fragile herder-farmer communities strained by water scarcity; women and children bear disproportionate burdens from lost livelihoods, contaminated water, and evacuation hardships, much like Philippines' fisherfolk. Infrastructure crumbles—roads like Kasese-Mpondwe wash away yearly, isolating markets, while homes and schools bury under debris, echoing coastal village wipeouts.
Local coping draws parallels to the mangroves' community spirit: residents in Bigando and Katunguru use bamboo check dams, terracing, and stone bunds to curb erosion, plant resilient cassava varieties, and form savings groups for post-disaster recovery—women-led like the cooperatives abroad. Government steps in via OPM's NECOC hazard mapping and early warning radios reaching 30,000, plus NEMA's zoning laws; NGOs such as Oxfam and WWF support reforestation (millions of trees planted), mirroring UNDP's role, while external aid from World Bank-funded NAPs funds resilient bridges and CRVA training.
Differences shine in scale—Kasese's inland mountains demand soil conservation over marine areas—and support: Uganda leverages regional bodies like Lake Victoria Basin Commission, but funding lags behind Philippines' post-Haiyan surge. Yet, both stories underscore collective restoration as hope amid crisis, with Kasese's youth patrols and eco-farming echoing mangrove tours for sustainable futures.