Today, NEMA has joined the Wetlands Management Department (WMD) under the Ministry of Water and Environment, relevant stakeholders, and the global community in commemorating World Wetlands Day 2026 under the theme “Wetlands and Traditional Knowledge: Celebrating Cultural Heritage.” Wetlands remain vital to Uganda’s survival: purifying water, moderating floods, supporting biodiversity, regulating climate, and sustaining millions of livelihoods and cultural traditions.

The national celebrations, held at the National Forestry Authority Grounds in Bugolobi and officiated by the Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja, Prime Minister of Uganda, provide an opportunity to reflect on the country’s progress in restoring and protecting these critical ecosystems.

Uganda’s wetland coverage has increased from 8.9% in the early 2020s to 13.9% by 2025, a recovery that places the country above both the African and global averages. This achievement is driven by coordinated efforts led by the WMD and local governments, who bear the mandate for wetland management, rehabilitation, and restoration. To date, 8,613 wetlands have been gazetted, with demarcation of major systems such as Aswa, Awoja, Enyau, Kibimba, Mayanja, Lumbuye, Mpanga, Musizi, Tochi, and Ssezibwa–Lwajali still ongoing.

As the national environmental regulator, NEMA continues to monitor, supervise, enforce, and coordinate environmental compliance in support of these efforts. Strengthened enforcement under the National Environment Act, Cap. 181, has enabled the Authority to address illegal encroachment, including recent interventions such as the removal of unlawful structures and backfilling in the Nakiyanja Wetland in Mukono. NEMA’s role, undertaken in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Police Unit and local authorities, remains essential to maintaining the ecological integrity of wetlands.

NEMA also works closely with MWE, local governments, civil society, community groups, and international partners to promote sustainable livelihoods that reduce pressure on wetland ecosystems. Community sensitisation, education, and capacity-building continue to support national programmes.
This year’s theme highlights the deep cultural significance of wetlands, which serve as sacred spaces, reservoirs of traditional knowledge, and sources of medicinal plants for many communities. Wetlands feature prominently in folklore, rituals, and communal life, making their conservation not only an ecological imperative but a cultural duty.

As we mark World Wetlands Day, NEMA calls on all Ugandans to recognise the ecological, economic, and cultural value of wetlands and to actively contribute to their protection. These ecosystems secure our water, sustain agriculture, buffer climate impacts, support biodiversity, and anchor cultural heritage. Protecting wetlands is a shared responsibility.