Uganda Leads the Way in the Recognition of Rights of Nature, Customary Laws and the Protection of Sacred Natural Sites
0/03/2021
In 2019, Uganda became the first nation in Africa to recognise the rights of Nature in national legislation under Section 4 of the National Environment Act (2019).
Now, in western Uganda, Indigenous Bagungu communities, traditional leaders and Buliisa District Council have gone a step further, pioneering legislation to protect sacred natural sites and recognise the customary laws of the Bagungu People.
These customary laws inherently safeguard Nature’s rights to exist, thrive and evolve. Their recognition at local level could be a paradigm-shifting precedent.
Uganda is now well placed to lead the way towards decolonised, ecocentric governance on the continent, rooted in the diverse knowledge and governance systems of Africa’s Indigenous and traditional communities.
