The role of human activities in the degradation of’ wetlands a case study of lumbuye wetland in Luuka county, Iganga District
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Date
2009-01
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Kampala International University, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Abstract
A study on the role of human activities on the degradation of wetlands was carried out in Lumbuye village, Luuka county Iganga district in Uganda. The variables considered included identifying the reasons for degrading Lumbuye wetland, examining the effects of wetland degradation and identifying local efforts to address, poor wetland management practices and suggestions ~or improvement on the sustainable utilization and management of wetland resources. To investigate the above variables a general survey research design was used data collection tools included interview, photography, observation, literature review and questionnaire.
The study identified the human activities carried out within and around Lumbuye wetland. These include crop growing where rice is the most dominant practice, human settlement, grazing cattle due to communal ownership of the wetland, sand extraction where by people as far as Iganga extract sand from lumbuye wetland. The study revealed effects of poor wetland management. The major impacts of poor wetland management in the area as the study identified were biodiversity loss, soil erosion, loss soil fertility The researcher identified what has been done to protect wetlands from being degraded including the setting up of policies and laws to manage the wetland, The study came up with recommendations that must be put in place in order to manage wetlands They included massive environmental education and awareness of the public and decision makers, advancement and implementation of regulatory laws and policies, population control
policies, soil erosion control methods, community participation amongst others.
Description
A dissertation submitted to the faculty of social sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Science of Kampala International University
Keywords
human activities, degradation, wetlands, Iganga District