Stanbic Funds Restoration of 15 Hectares of Degraded Forest in Masaka

What the report says

Stanbic Bank Uganda is financing a forest-restoration effort at Manwa Local Forest Reserve in Masaka District, where 15 hectares of degraded land are set to be rehabilitated through a community-based project. According to Nile Post, the plan includes planting 7,700 seedlings and protecting existing natural regeneration to help restore tree cover and improve the health of the reserve.

The work is being carried out under the Running Out of Trees (ROOTs) Campaign, a national tree-planting and conservation programme hosted by Environmental Alert on behalf of the Ministry of Water and Environment. The article says the reserve was chosen after consultations with government forestry officials and local authorities. It forms part of the Lake Nabugabo Ramsar landscape, an area recognized for its ecological importance.

Nile Post reports that the reserve has been affected by encroachment, cultivation, grazing, invasive species, brick-making, illegal logging and charcoal burning. The restoration plan will focus on indigenous and locally suitable trees, with some fruit trees added in buffer areas. It will also use assisted natural regeneration, a method that supports recovery of trees already growing on the site.

The project is intended to involve government, private-sector, civil society and community stakeholders, including groups such as women, young people, older persons and persons with disabilities. Stanbic had earlier pledged Shs150 million to the ROOTs Campaign in 2025, part of which was directed toward this broader tree-planting effort.