Natural Sciences

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Browsing Natural Sciences by Author "Egeru, Anthony"

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    Rainfall trends in the Lake Victoria Basin, Uganda
    (Atmosphere, 2016) Egeru, Anthony
    during the months of March-May and October- December; with the winds changing direction to the north ending of the lake. Over the years, rainfall in the basin has fluctuated with debilitating impacts. This is because 80% of the lake’s water input is from rainfall; as such the lake is generally described as an “atmosphere controlled” lake (Tate et al., 2004).. In that regard, the variability of rainfall over the lake both spatially and temporally is important in influencing the lake’s water levels. Research into the spatial and temporal variability of rainfall over Lake Victoria basin have been undertaken by several researches but have shown no significant trends. However, from time to time, dry spells continue to occur over the basin, leading to the necessity to show not only the patterns but the intensity of rainfall variability in the basin as well. In this current work rainfall trends and intensity of variability over the basin in the Uganda part are shown, using data from five weather stations (Masaka, Wakiso, Kampala, Mukono and Jinja). Data covers 35 years (1980-2014).
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    Trees and Livelihoods in Karamoja, Uganda
    (ResearchGate, 2014) Egeru, Anthony; Okia, Clement; Leeuw, Jan de
    This report presents results of a rapid desk review of academic and grey literature on the evidence relating to trees and livelihoods in Karamoja a region in north eastern Uganda. The review identified the range of problems in the Karamoja sub-region; benefits of trees to people and communities living in Karamoja; the role of trees in resilience building; role of trees in agricultural production, traditional knowledge of trees in Karamoja; threats to trees, drivers of development in Karamoja; tree-based initiatives in the sub-region; and opportunities for action research in Karamoja. Using their experiences in the Karamoja subregion and other similar ecosystems in Africa, the authors provide insights of the contribution of trees to livelihoods in Karamoja. Karamoja sub-region is a semi-humid to semi-arid sub-region in north eastern Uganda covering approximately 27,200 km2. It has a complex range of problems including: historical injustices, misconceptions of the sub-region and its people, poor infrastructure climate variability and change, existence of several agricultural risks, weather based vagaries, low agricultural productivity, a declining pastoral production system, increasing environmental degradation orchestrated by a number of mal-adaptations, and poor performance of the region with respect to development indicators as compared to other parts of Uganda. The climate in Karamoja sub-region is generally harsh with high rainfall variability and high evapotranspiration. The sub-region’s rainfall regime ranges between 350-1000 mm per annum. This precipitation is usually sporadic and falls in one rainy season. The sub-region generally suffers from poor rainfall distribution rather than from low rainfall totals. However, it is the intensity and the variability, particularly the existence of sporadic intense wet periods followed by drought events that has always had debilitating impacts on the sub-region. There is wide evidence to suggest that trees provide a range of services and benefits to the people and communities living in Karamoja. Following the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (http://www.millenniumassessment.org) analysis, these are categorised into four sub-groups: provisioning, regulating, supporting and cultural services. This review reveals that the Karamojong1 derive a wide number of herbs and medicinal products for humans and livestock from trees. Consequently, the Karamojong have high levels of ethnopharmacological and enthanoveterinary knowledge. Firewood, charcoal, building materials, gums, resins and extractives are also harvested from different tree species within the sub-region. Further, trees provide forage and browse to livestock during both dry and rainy seasons. Browse is particularly important during the dry seasons when acacia pods are utilised. The trees in the sub-region act as wind breaks against the strong winds that emerge from the Turkana plains in Kenya; trees also help to control soil and water erosion. In places where trees have been cleared, soil erosion is strongly evident, developing into gullies.
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    Tsetse Invasion as an Emerging Threat to Socioecological Resilience of Pastoral Communities in Karamoja, Uganda
    (Sustainability, 2020) Egeru, Anthony; Opio, Joseph; Siya, Aggrey; Barasa, Bernard; Magaya, John Paul; Namaalwa, Justine J.
    Over 70% of Uganda is infested by the tsetse fly, which has negative e ects on human and livestock health. From colonial to post-independent Uganda, the Government of Uganda has worked to eradicate the tsetse menace. Despite these e orts, recent veterinary reports from the Karamoja sub-region have indicated widespread tsetse invasion. This study investigated the potential impact of tsetse invasion on the socioecological resilience of pastoral communities in the Karamoja sub-region. Results indicated that tsetse invasion is spreading from north to south of Karamoja. The tsetse transmission route emerging from southern Karamoja is perceived to be a continuation of the tsetse belt from West Pokot, Kenya. Cases of livestock deaths, livestock abortions, decreased milk yields, restricted access to prime grazing lands, heightened human-wildlife conflicts and disruption on crop cultivation have been reported. A computed socioecological resilience index in the study area was positive but low. Owing to the transboundary characteristics of tsetse invasions and sources and the associated documented e ects, an urgent, strategic and system-wide intervention should be undertaken to control the tsetse invasion in this sub-region.