WETLANDS

Wetlands are areas where land and water meet and mingle. They include areas of open water, such as lakes and rivers; land that is permanently flooded, such as swamps; saturated land such as bogs; or seasonally inundated land as is the case with flood- plains.29

Wetlands in Uganda cover almost 30,000

square kilometres, constituting about 13 percent of the total area of the country. It is estimated that over 5 million people in Uganda depend on wetlands directly for water supply valued at over US$ 25 million per year30

through ground water

recharging, water storage and purification. Wet- lands are also important in Uganda for controlling floods, filtering wastes, dry season fishing and live- stock grazing, and tourism.

Wetlands continue to suffer from pollution, con- version to other uses such as agriculture and hu- man settlement.31

than seven percent of the original wetland area in Uganda has been converted for other uses.32

has resulted in loss of biodiversity, especially for species that thrive or breed in wetlands.

Estimates indicate that more This

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