Effects of Population Growth and Urban Development on Wetlands in Kampala City: A Case of Kansanga Wetland
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Date
2008-10
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Kampala International University, Master Of Science in Environmental Management and Development
Abstract
This study on the "Effects of population growth and urban development on the Kansanga
wetland" aimed to determine the historical trends of population growth rate and urban
development of Kampala, determine the integrity of Kansanga wetland for the past 10 to
15 years, establish the activities of the population and how they affect the wetland, and
analysed the effects of population growth and urban development on the wetland.
Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used where 84 respondents were
sampled in the study which included KCC officials, the wetland occupants, NEMA officials
and the area district environmental officer. Out of the 84 only 46 respondents returned
filled questionnaires and 20 were interviewed making a total of 66 respondents.
The findings indicate that Kansanga wetland is highly encroached by the increasing
population of Kampala City, urban development and urban human activities as the major
threats to Kansanga wetland, greatly affecting the wetland's size, biodiversity, integrity
and productivity. The study findings confirmed the disappearance of some of the species
that formally existed in this wetland which included the sitatunga and the Typha sp (cat
tails).The size of the wetland was also found to have been modified by 88% compared to
58% by NBS (2000) and the estimated current size under intact wetland vegetation is only
0.54 km2 out of 4.54 km2 of the original size.
Among the major recommendations were that the government, NEMA, the lead or
responsible ministry and other private conservation organisations should purchase plots
from the wetland from the landlords who got leases before the Constitution (1995) and
establish the entire wetland as wildlife refuge, sanctuary, or special conservation area.
This will preserve the wetland in its natural state and protect it from destructive human
development activities. Decentralization of services to overcome the rural urban migration
and promotion of contraceptive use to check the population growth among others. This
can be done through the enactment and implementation of policies and laws, which
address the issues revealed through this study.
Description
A Dissertation Submitted to the School of Postgraduate Studies in Partial fulfillment of the Requirement for the Award of a Degree of Master Of Science in Environmental Management and Development of Kampala International University
Keywords
Population Growth, Urban Development, Wetlands