Joseph Otim was just two years old when the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency began in Uganda. Military groups were engaged in extensive deforestation and there was widespread lumbering to produce income-generating charcoal. Forests and local landscapes had become yet another casualty of the conflict.
Once the war was over however, a new struggle had emerged –the battle against the effects of climate change; poor harvests, erratic rainfall and a general sense of hopelessness. Sustainable utilization of natural resources and reforestation were still far from being a priority in people’s minds as forests were cut for firewood, and charcoal remained one of the few avenues available for income generation.
In this landscape, Joseph Otim was one of the few eager to see a lasting impact on the future of the forests in his native country. Raised in rural Uganda, in an Internally Displaced Persons’ Camp he had suffered the consequences of Kony’s bloody war, and witnessed firsthand the impacts of deforestation. He decided to pursue an education in forestry, “I had the skills and the knowledge about the indigenous diversity of my country’s trees” he said, “yet I didn’t know where to get the experience.”
Special thanks to Marta Millere from Bioversity International for preparing this post.
Photo credits: Joseph Otim.
