| dc.description.abstract | Environmental policies on natural resources are as old as the history of man-kind, thus it is
common to find an array of policies in the environmental docket in most countries. Despite
the myriad of policies made and promulgated by most counties, de-legitimisation of the
policies on natural resources exists manifested in non-compliance with any of them and their
ineffective enforcement in developing countries with a bearing on the new competitive
political dispensation amongst these countries, Uganda inclusively. The natural resources
have been dished out as handouts hence their petering out, hither to government forest
reserves inclusively. This study was out to:-investigate the relationship between government
regulatory system and local communities' compliance with the Uganda Forestry Policy (UFP)
2001 in South Busoga Central Forest Reserve (SBCFR); explain the role of politicians with
enforcement of the UFP 2001 in SBCFR; and establish the community attitude and willingness
of the community living adjacent to SBCFR to comply with the UFP 200 l.This was a case study
using cross-sectional survey describing existing phenomena with respect to the following
variables, compliance, enforcement and political interference with the first two variables. It
adopted a QUAL-quan triangulation model given the objectives. The target local community
population was 7341 households where 364 households formed the sample size. A total of
344 local community respondents, thus a precision of ± 5% at a 95% level of confidence
participated from the sampled households and 31 conservationists forming the government
regulatory system participated. The instruments used were piloted and using a split-half
testing for reliability where a coefficient of 0.83 was attained. Document analysis,
observations and interviews were transcribed in the text before analysis and interpretations.
The research revealed that there was a moderate correlation between government regulatory
system and the local community's compliance with the UFP 2001 at r = 0.42.The chi statistic
values showed that none of the elements of the government regulatory system was <9.21 at
0.01 df = 2 thus statistically insignificant. It was also found that the elements of government
regulatory system were not properly coordinated despite being loosely under NEMA. The
SWOT analysis showed that strengths were higher than weakness; where insufficient power
and corruption usurped the strengths of NFA in its enforcement. It was also found that local
politicians usurped both the powers and authority of NFA in either enforcement of UFP 2001,
hence, rendering NFA Officials incompetent. There was a strong relationship at r = 0.74
between the politicians' interference and enforcement of forestry policy at SBCFR. The local
communities were positive towards compliance at Likert Scale rate 360 willing to stop, 305
very much willing to comply with the policy, while 320 some what willing. De-legitimization
of forestry policy had a strong bearing on political will to either comply with or-enforce it.
This has openly led to encroachment of the forest reserves. To avoid de-legitimization of the
UFP 2001, there is a need to have a positive political will. The Lead Agencies in the environment
docket should be have internal checks and be assertive in management. The policy should be
reviewed to include politicians' role. Agro-forestry strategy skewed towards soil fertilization
would detach the local community from the forest reserve. | en_US |
