East African Geographical Review, 19: 1 LAND USE AND LAND DEGRADATION IN KABALE DISTRICT, UGANDA

Kabale is a mountainous district In this paper, a review is made of land degradation within the district Land degradation is due to population pressure on the land and poor traditional land use practices. Introduction Mountain environments are very fragile and delicate ecosystems. Intensification of land use caused by an increase in population can have profound effects on the system by disturbing the ecological balance, thus resulting in environmental degradation. Kabale is a mountainous district and a prime example of a degraded mountain environment. In this paper, land use practices are identified and their impact on the land resources are discussed. There has been growing concern over the human destruction of vegetation in the Kabale highlands, as well as the increased soil erosion hazard caused by current land use practices, which are aggravated by population pressure. In the effort to satisfy their needs for food and fuel, people have stripped the land of trees and shrubs for firewood, cleared steep unstable slopes and reclaimed swamps. As a result, soil erosion has become a major problem in the region and has led to land degradation. .. Population growth and high population densities have resulted in a drastic decrease in farm size and more intensive use of the land. Traditional inheritance protocols practiced in Uganda, and specifically in Kabale, have contributed greatly to land fragmentation and degradation. For instance, when the head of a peasant family dies, his land is sub-divided among his sons (Kagamirwe, 1972). This phenomenon of land sub-division continues with each passing generation on the customary freehold lands. The Study Area Kabale, a mountainous district, is located in the southwest of Uganda and borders Rwanda (Figure 1). The area is part of the northern slopes of the Mufumbiro Range which encompasses the tallest mountain, Muhavura (4127 m). The highlands of Kabale are composed of the Karagwe Ankolean rock system which is largely of Precambrian age. The uplift to its present level occurred in association with the formation of the Western Rift Valley in East Africa. The highlands are dominated by steeply sloping ridges, hills and narrow valleys. The dominant soils are latsols and loarns (Bagoora, 1988). The climate of Kabale can be classified as cool and humid which is primarily due to the altitude. The temperatures are moderate with a mean maximum of about 23°C and a mean minimum of about l00C (GOU, 1967). But, there are reports from the area that show temperatures have risen in recent years. This is possibly attributable to deforestation and extensive swamp reclamation. The region shows a bimodal rainfall pattern with rains coming from March to June and September to December. The rainfall amounts vary a great deal in space and time ranging from annual means of 1000 to 1500 mm. On vegetation, it is believed that until about 500 years ago, the highlands of Kabale were covered by natural forests and grasses. However, centuries of human occupation have led to the destruction of the vegetation cover, making the soils prone to erosion. At present, there are only gazetted Forest Reserves and National Parks, namely: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Echuya Forest and Kirima Forest.