# Vignette 2: Uganda's deforestation challenge
"If nothing changes, by 2040 there will be no forests left in Uganda," reflects Hadija Nabali, Head of Solutions Mapping at UNDP Uganda. Instead of focusing solely on forest protection policies, her team set out to understand what was driving forest loss.
Their first insight came from bringing together stakeholders who rarely shared the same room: illegal loggers, charcoal sellers, prison administrators, school leaders, and housewives sat alongside forestry officials and environmental experts[\[1\]](#endnote-1) (Figure 17). Using a traditional African fireplace discussion format[\[2\]](#endnote-2), they uncovered how different parts of the challenge connected.
The team discovered multiple interlinked causes of deforestation. Prisons used wood fuel to prepare meals for 152,000 inmates daily, while schools relied heavily on firewood for their cooking needs. For rural families living on less than $3 a day, illegal logging was often the only available livelihood.[\[3\]](#endnote-3) Most significantly, households in urban areas heavily rely on firewood (48.6%) and charcoal (41.2%) as main type of cooking fuel.[\[4\]](#endnote-4) The smoky aroma from wood fuel cooking has become deeply embedded in Uganda's food culture; many consider it essential for the authentic taste of traditional dishes, making the shift to alternative cooking methods particularly challenging.
"We learned that some communities actually have treasured certain species of trees... living harmoniously with forests for over 100 years, whereas in other regions it was a different story," notes Deborah Naatujuna, Head of Exploration. This understanding led them to map deeper patterns and relationships, revealing how poverty, energy access, cultural practices, and institutional needs were all interconnected.
The team co-designed complementary interventions with key stakeholders that addressed different aspects of the problem. They collaborated with the Electricity Regulatory Authority to conduct trials on new tariffs designed to make electric cooking more affordable. Moreover, they partnered with cultural institutions to incorporate tree planting into traditional marriage ceremonies. Additionally, they supported prisons and schools in piloting alternative cooking technologies.
These connected interventions began reinforcing each other. As electricity became more affordable, institutions found it easier to shift away from wood fuel. As cultural leaders promoted forest protection, communities became more receptive to alternative energy sources. Most importantly, stakeholders began taking ownership of the changes. The National Forestry Authority scaled up the digital monitoring system[\[5\]](#endnote-5) to include wetlands, while the Electricity Regulatory Authority expanded the new tariffs across the country. "Now they are scaling most of these interventions even without us being in the picture," notes Hadija.
{% hint style="info" %}
#### **Key takeaways:**
* **Create learning spaces:** Invite the system into the room by bringing together unusual stakeholders to share their perspectives and understand both the bigger picture and their role within it
* **Build on cultural practices:** Design and facilitate convenings that build on cultural traditions - like the fireplace discussions - to create familiar and safe environments for dialogue and reflection
* **Understand what's keeping the current system in place:** Pay attention to cultural and economic factors that maintain existing patterns, as these often reveal unexpected opportunities for change
* **Promote ownership of experiments:** Different stakeholders should lead different interventions while learning from each other's successes and challenges
* **Design for connection:** Work with the ecosystem to co-design interventions that work at multiple levels and reinforce each other's impact
{% endhint %}
***
## Notes
1. See UNDP Accelerator Lab Uganda (2020). [↑](#endnote-ref-1)
2. The traditional fireplace discussion format refers to a deeply rooted African practice where gatherings around a fire create a forum for open dialogue. As described by Hadija Nabali, Head of Solutions Mapping at UNDP Uganda, this format creates a safe space where all participants, regardless of status, feel empowered to contribute. The power of this approach is illustrated in how it facilitated unprecedented dialogue between authorities and illegal loggers: "These would not sit in the same place with the National Forestry Authority as they are law-breakers who would be reprimanded for cutting down the trees." [↑](#endnote-ref-2)
3. See Nabbale, Naatujuna, & Mugema (2020a) [↑](#endnote-ref-3)
4. Uganda Bureau of Statistics. (2024) [↑](#endnote-ref-4)
5. See Nabbale, Naatujuna, & Mugema (2020b) [↑](#endnote-ref-5)
---
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