Effects of Human Wetland Encroachment on the Degradation of Lubigi Wetland System, Kampala City Uganda

The biggest threat to wetland ecosystems in Kampala is posed by increasing and dimensionless anthropogenic activities that infringe and transform them biologically, often for short-term human consumptive purposes. The principal objectives of this study were to examine the extent of wetland temporal changes between 2000 and 2018 and to establish the causes and consequences of human wetland encroachment. Geographical Information Systems and Remote sensing techniques were used to analyze high-resolution satellite imagery captured during 2002, 2015 and 2018, coupled with ground surveys involving interactions among wetland communities. Our results reveal that the areas covered by diverse wetland vegetation in 2002 represented 96.3% of the total land cover which was the largest, this gradually decreased to 82.5% in 2015 and finally 80.6% in 2018. There was a general increase in Murrum (laterite soil) deposited areas within the wetland system. Smallholder agricultural lands also increased from 0.2% in 2002 to 1.6% in 2015 and 7.7% in 2018. Settlements also experienced an increase from 3.2% to 7.8% in 2015. The encroachments are mainly driven by high population pressure, inadequate enforcement of wetland regulations and political interventions. The wetland extent is narrowing at a high rate due to settlements. This process is broken into phases: depositing of murram or tree planting or farming activities and later settlements. This study demonstrates more shortfalls in the monitoring mechanisms of wetland conservation and wise use in Kampala.