Natural forest management and conservation: project extension (1995 - 1999)

The Natural Forest Management Project was a component of the World Bank Forestry Rehabilitation Project (FRP) that was funded by a grant from the European Development Fund (EDF). The FRP was designed to restart forestry activities, promote conservation and restore the Forest Reserves that had suffered from encroachment during the 1970's. The purpose of the Natural Forest Management and Conservation Project was to manage and conserve the natural forests in Uganda, for sustained timber and charcoal production by the private-sector, for the generation of forest revenues collected from logging operations and for environmental protection and nature conservation.

The Project helped the Forestry Department to successfully regain control of the Forest Reserves, through boundary demarcation and the eviction of illegal settlers in the Forest Reserves. The Project also put in place some of the conditions for improved forest management for production and conservation. The Project was originally implemented over the period 1988 to 1995 and included expenditure on vehicles, equipment, housing for Forestry Department staff and training of professional and sub-professional staff. The total amount of funding from the EDF was ECU 8.5 million (equal to about Ush 2,800 million). A detailed budget showing expenditure by activity on the Natural Forest Management Project is given in Table 19 in Annex 4.

The Project was extended from July 1995 to March 1999, using an EDF facility for stabilisation of export earnings (stabex facility). The purpose of this was to consolidate the achievements of the first phase and to begin preparatory work for a new development phase that was expected to start in 1999. In general, the emphasis during this period was to improve the technical, financial and professional aspects of forestry operations. The budget for the project extension is shown in Table 7 below.

Table 7           Expenditure on the extension to the Natural Forest Management Project, by activity (1995 - 1999)

Cost item	Expenditure (Ush)
Forest field work	102,667,330
Nature reserve and conservation support	6,600,600
Stock-mapping, forest management and protection	80,155,100
Education and training	7,149,840
Revenue collection	28,584,884
Public relations	77,400
Renovation of buildings	10,887,730
Office costs	22,641,182
Tools and equipment	5,170,604
Vehicle and motorcycle procurement	0
Vehicle running expenses	103,874,854
Transport and travel	24,959,050
Project special allowance	0
Non-civil service staff wages and salaries	23,730,700
Additional responsibility allowance	25,903,900
Miscellaneous	0
Pre-feasibility study modules	34,114,135
Strengthening of project financial management	4,050,000
Core management team	0
Foreign exchange and other contingencies	0
Total	480,567,309

Source: Unpublished EC-Funded Natural Forest Management and Conservation Project (stabex 91 & 92) progress report

The National Biomass Study (1989 - 2000)

The National Biomass Study was originally part of a power project within the Ministry of Energy, which included a number of woodfuel-related studies. In 1987, it was decided that the Forestry Department should implement the study, linking it to the Forest Inventory Project. This was one of the elements of the FRP and was funded with a grant from NORAD channelled through the Norwegian Forestry Society.

Phase I of the project was implemented between November 1989 and March 1992. The main objective of the project was to estimate the growing stock and annual increment of woody and non-woody biomass for woodfuel production in nine peri-urban areas (Arua, Jinja, Kabale, Kampala/Entebbe, Kamuli, Kumi, Mbale, Mbarara and Moroto). During Phase I, an inventory of the growing stock of woody biomass was carried out and the annual increment of woody biomass was estimated.

Table 8 shows the planned budget for Phase I of the project.

Table 8           Planned budget for Phase I of the National Biomass Study

Cost item	Quantity '000	Unit cost NOK1	Total (NOK ‘000)
			Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4	Total
Labour and allowances2
Inventory teams	24.9	34.0	75	226	314	233	848
Supervisors	2.2	63.0	14	42	42	41	139
Central staff	3.5	63.0	31	63	63	63	220
Daily labour	16.5	10.0	15	45	60	45	165
Sub-total, labour and allowances			135	376	479	382	1,372
Vehicles, operation and maintenance3	625.0	1.4	70	168	342	294	874
Total recurrent costs			205	544	821	676	2,246

Notes:  1.   All costs are calculated as 90% of the total costs, using an exchange rate of NOK 1 = Ush 10 (November 1987).

             2.   The quantity is the number of days in the field. In open areas the number of persons in each team might be reduced.

             3.   The quantity is the number of kilometres of vehicle use. It is based on: 2 units x  25,000 km per vehicle in year 1; 4 units x 30,000 km per vehicle in year 2; 7 units x 35,000 km per vehicle in year 3; and 7 units x 30,000 km per vehicle in year 4.

Phase II started in 1990 and ended in 1992. In Phase II, Uganda's biomass resources were studied with the following specific objectives:

to estimate woody and non-woody biomass and potential woodfuel production for the whole of Uganda, using a land-cover and land-use stratification at a scale of 1:50,000;

to initiate dynamic monitoring of woody biomass by continuous re-measurement of about 1,000 field plots established during Phase I of the project; and

to develop an Environmental Information System (EIS).

The planned budget for Phase II of the project is shown in Table 9.

Table 9           Planned budget for Phase II of the National Biomass Study

Cost item	Total (NOK ‘000)
	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4	Total
Investment costs
Vehicles, equipment and materials	1,238	3,805	640	210	5,893
Technical assistance	1,500	1,325	1,400	300	4,525
Recurrent costs
Labour and allowances, vehicle operations	205	544	821	676	2,246
Total baseline costs	2,943	5,674	2,861	1,186	12,664
Physical contingencies	147	284	143	60	634
Backstopping	247	477	240	100	1,064
Total project costs	3,337	6,435	3,244	1,346	14,362

Actual expenditure on Phases I and II of the project is shown in Table 10 below.

Table 10         Actual expenditure on Phases I and II of the National Biomass Study from 1991 to 1995

Expenditure	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995
In NOK million	1.571	3.768	3.249	2.814	2.935
In Ush million	245	588	507	439	458

Phase III of the project ran from July 1996 to June 2000. The objectives of Phase III were as follows:

to establish a framework for the continuous dynamic monitoring of land-cover, land-use and woody biomass in Uganda;

to maintain and update the EIS and all of the datasets associated with the EIS; and

to collaborate with other professional groups within or outside the Forestry Department in research and analysis on the subject of maximising the use of biomass.

The total budget for Phase III of the project was Ush 2.03 billion. NORAD contributed NOK 9.0 million (or approximately US$ 1.38 million) to the project (see Table 11)

Table 11         Budget for Phase III of the National Biomass Study, by activity and type of expenditure (in NOK ‘000)

Cost item	Total planned expenditure
Investment costs
Construction and Buildings	33
Vehicles, equipments, upgrades, spares and imported materials:
Three landcruiser hardtops	520
Equipment, upgrades and spares	1,170
Other fixed assets	85
Sub-total: investment costs	1,808
Recurrent costs
Human resources development	850
Local salaries and wages	420
Compensation, field allowance and night allowance	2,210
Technical assistance	1,200
Non-wage recurrent costs:
Maintenance and vehicle running costs	1,410
Utilities and property costs	360
Auditing and reviews etc	742
Sub-total: recurrent costs	7,192
Total	9,000

The Government of Uganda contributed to the project by paying taxes on vehicles, upgrades, spares and remote sensing data (approximately Ush 110 million) and by contributing to salaries (Ush 67 million). In addition, Appropriation-in-Aid was used to take income from sales and licensing of data and products and re-invest this in the project (Ush 0.29 billion or approximately US$ 0.3 million). Details of the budget for Phase III of the National Biomass Study are in Table 22 and Table 23 in Annex 4.

            Tree Seed Project (1991 - 1996)

The Government of Uganda is aware of the importance of tree planting activities as a tool for implementing environmental policy.  Realising that optimal benefits from tree planting are best achieved with quality seeds and planting material, the United Nations Sudano-Sahelian Office (UNSO) offered to support this with a five-year Tree Seed Project starting in 1991. 

The overall objective of the Project was to upgrade the genetic and physical quality of the seed being used for tree planting activities in Uganda. The specific activities of the Project were as follows:

to survey all existing seed sources in the country to establish their current status and present and future seed production capacity and recommend necessary treatments to ensure realisation of their full seed production potential;

to establish a list of species preferences and the required seed quantities by species for the different tree planting programmes in Uganda (including visits to the various tree-planting programmes in the country);

to establish the main constraints to the effective use of seed in the country and recommend the necessary seed research and extension activities to overcome them;

to critically analyse seed supply demand situation and projections to the year 2000, with a view to establishing seed supply potential from local sources, new seed source development needs and seed importation needs; and

to critically review the current seed movement regulations in Uganda, including import and export regulations, quality controls, quarantine regulations and seed documentation procedures.

Table 12         UNSO and Government of Uganda contributions to the Tree Seed Project

Cost item	UNSO (US$)	Cost item	GoU (Ush)
Personnel	524,000	Staff: silviculture research division	43,078,000
Travel allowance	65,270	Personnel allowances	83,960,000
National project staff	170,520	Staff: silviculture research division	9,883,614
Casual Labour	27,840	Personnel – soldiers	8,886,060
Sub-contractors (for consultancy service)	306,000
Equipment and operating costs	247,300
Buildings	476,500	Maintenance of buildings	14,250,000
Vehicles	369,400	Vehicles	13,200,000
Establishment of seed stands	60,400	Seed collection, processing, tools & equipment	5,000,000
Training and extension	270,000
Miscellaneous	444,801
Total	2,962,031	Total	178,257,674

The budget for the Project is shown in Table 12, which also shows the contributions to the Project from UNSO and the Government of Uganda. More detailed information about the budget for the Project in the current year is given in Table 24 in Annex 4.

Expenditure by other government forestry institutions

            Nyabyeya Forestry College and Combined Forestry Training Project

Nyabyeya Forestry College is the only institution in Uganda that trains forest technicians to diploma and certificate level. Until recently, it was financed and run by the Forestry Department but with the restructuring of government ministries and departments it is now under the Ministry of Education.

A four year project has combined and extended previous projects on "Support to the Nyabyeya Forestry College" and "Combined Forestry Training". The goal of the project was to assist human resource development in the forestry sector and to promote environmentally sound and sustainable use of forest resources, while increasing the supply of forest products to the economy and contributing to broad-based economic development, especially in rural areas.

The project was implemented by the Forestry Department from July 1996 to June 2000. Technical assistance, backstopping and other services were provided by the Norwegian Forestry Society. The project was supported by NORAD with a grant of NOK 12.7 million (approximately US$ 2million). The Government of Uganda contributed to the project by covering the costs of taxes and by reinvesting in the project the revenue generated by the project. This expenditure (Appropriation-in-Aid) amounted to Ush 240 million (or approximately US$ 0.24 Million). Details of the budget for this project are given in Table 13.

Table 13         Budget for the Nyabyeya Forestry College and Combined Forestry Training Project, by activity (1996 - 2000)

Cost item	Expenditure (NOK ‘000)
Investment costs
Infrastructure, plantation and sawmill:
Fire tower, fire fighting equipment	110
Mechanic workshop upgrading	65
Mechanic workshop equipment	110
Demonstration plots establishment	25
Bee-keeping equipment and materials	25
Un-allocated, sawmill	65
Communications, equipment and teaching aids:
HF-radio	23
CB radios (walkie-talkies)	7
Un-allocated	35
Equipment, tools, books, literature, overhead	400
Computers etc.	250
General infrastructure (new staff houses, dispensary, extension of guest house, sewage and water, roads, lights etc.)	2,250
Sub-total: investment costs	3,355
Recurrent costs
Human resources development (staff programme)	1,300
Visiting lecturers, local and regional expertise for conducting courses	650
Compensation, field allowance and night allowance	500
Technical assistance	4,780
Mobile unit, sawmilling courses	815
Backstopping administration, auditing	300
Reviews, evaluation, steering committee	400
Five percent contingencies on investment and recurrent expenditure	600
Sub-total: recurrent costs	9,345
Total	12,700
Government of Uganda contribution	Expenditure (Ush)
Appropriation-in-Aid
Local salaries, wages and services	160,000,000
Payment of import duties and taxes1	80,000,000
Total Appropriation-in-Aid	240,000,000
Other recurrent costs
Salaries	4 x 32,343,044
Housing for lecturers and support staff	4 x 15,296,508
Maintenance of vehicles	4 x   3,420,396
Maintenance of college buildings	4 x  1,955, 400
Students upkeep	4 x 11,337,600
Training and equipment	4 x   2,700,600
Electricity, water and other utilities	4 x   1,952,124
Total	276,022,688

Notes:  1.   Duties were paid on the following items: one bus (US$ 23,400); one motorcycle (US$ 3,000); and assorted machinery and equipment (US$ 25,000).