Topic: Degradation of forests and wetlands has significant impacts on species: A case for herpetofauna (reptiles and amphibians)

Forest Degradation

Global and National Trends: Deforestation is occurring at an accelerated rate worldwide, outpacing reforestation efforts (Vogt, Peter, et al. 2019). In Uganda, over 50% of the forest estate has been lost in the past 25 years, with predictions indicating no forests outside protected areas by 2050 (Republic of Uganda, 2016; Diisi, 2017; Obua et al. 2010, NEMA, 2010).

Impacts on Wildlife: Forests are crucial habitats for many species, including herpetofauna. The loss and fragmentation of forests disrupts natural behaviors, breeding sites, and food sources for species like frogs, chameleons, and tortoises.

Wetland Degradation

Global and National Trends: Wetlands, which are vital for water purification, carbon storage, and biodiversity, have seen a 35% global loss since 19704. In Uganda, wetland coverage has decreased from 15.5% in 1994 to 8.9% in 2016, with further declines expected (GoU-MWE, 2016).

Impacts on Wildlife: Wetlands provide essential breeding sites for amphibians. Degradation through drainage, pollution, and urbanization leads to the loss of these habitats, affecting species that rely on them. Amphibians, with their permeable skin, are particularly vulnerable to pollutants, leading to health declines and deformities.

Economic and Ecosystem Services

Human Impact: Forests and wetlands support local economies and livelihoods through provisioning services like farming and wetland products. Their degradation negatively affects these services and the survival of flora and fauna.

Ecosystem Roles: Reptiles and amphibians control pests, serve as environmental health indicators, and contribute to biodiversity.

Between 1975 and 1995, Uganda lost about half of its overall biodiversity value (Pomeroy et al. 2017), and the losses are still high in some sectors, notably forests, woodlands and wetlands.

Upcoming Public Talk

A public talk on the impacts of forest and wetland degradation on flora and fauna, with a focus on herpetofauna, will be held on October 3, 2024, starting at 2:00pm at Physics Lecture Theatre, Department of Physics, Makerere University, 

The talk will aim at the critical need for conservation efforts to protect these vital ecosystems and the species that depend on them, with a focus on amphibian and reptiles.

Speaker:

The keynote Speaker will be Professor Luca M. Luiselli, a renowned tropical ecologist and conservation biologist.

Biography: Prof. Luiselli is a passionate explorer of natural communities within rainforests and wetlands of West Africa – Nigeria, Togo, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Burkina Faso, and recently East Africa – South Sudan and Uganda. He has over 200 peer-reviewed papers, several of them in top journals, like Nature, Ecology, Oikos, and Biology Letters. He is a herpetofauna expert, with focus on snakes and chelonians – turtles and tortoises.

Luca holds a Full Professorship (Ecology; Italian Public Universities Network); Professorship (Statistics and Population Ecology; Université de Lomé Togo), CEO at Institute for Development Ecology Conservation and Cooperation (IDECC) (www.ideccngo.org) at Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Nigeria.

He is the Chief Editor – African Journal of Ecology and a Visiting Professor to NatureUganda.