The military and environmental protection: a case study of Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the contribution of the military in environmental protection and particularly the UPDF in Uganda. It was guided by the general objective of examining the contributions of UPDF to environmental Protection in Uganda, through which specific objectives were established. These included investigating the role of environmental institutional frame works in protecting the environment in Uganda, establishing UPDF interventions in protecting the environment in Uganda and the challenges encountered by UPDF in environmental Protection in Uganda. The research deployed qualitative desk review approach to establish the findings. It was revealed that environmental institutional frameworks are the backbone for implementing and enforcing policies, regulations, and guidelines for safeguarding the environment. This was possible through effective coordination, cooperation, and collaboration among stakeholders. Moreover, it was established that through its various activities and initiatives, UPDF has demonstrated a strong commitment to safeguarding the country's natural resources and promoting sustainable development by combating illegal environmental activities, promoting environmental education and awareness campaigns. However, it was established that limited resources and inadequate training posed substantial challenges to UPDF effort towards environmental protection. The study therefore, recommended that government allocates more funding and resources to the UPDF towards environmental protection initiatives and enhances training programs and collaboration with other stakeholders to enable the UPDF play even more roles of environmental protection in Uganda.