Wetlands are among the most important natural resources in Uganda and occur all over the country covering  11 per cent of its land area. These wetlands can be found around some of the major lakes and rivers such as the Lake Wamala wetland system and River Katonga  around the Lake Victoria Basin, the Namatala-Doho wetland around Lake Kyoga, the Wetlands of River Semliki around Lake Albert, Enyau Wetland around the Albert Nile section of River Nile and the Achwa wetland catchment around Achwa River among others.

They are important for protecting our water resources and sustaining agricultural productivity. During the dry seasons, they are the only places where the local communities are able to access pasture for their animals and their fringes support the production of short term crops like vegetables and potatoes for household consumption.

However, wetlands are experiencing rapid degradation in various parts of the country resulting into severe environmental impacts such as flash floods and reduced amount of rainfall. 

It is for this reason that the Government of Uganda in partnership with the United Nations has published the Uganda Wetlands Atlas ( Volume I & II) to provide information about the location and state of the country’s wetlands. 

The Atlas uses a combination of  satellite images, maps, graphics, ground photographs, and evidence based story lines supported by scientific analysis to provide a clear account of  what and where in the country this strategic resource is facing challenges that need to be urgently addressed.

It is intended to be a guide for policy and decision makers and the general public as they support efforts to protect Uganda’s critical wetland resources.