Nelson Ojara News Today

Northern Ugandas revered shea trees are under threat from climate change and illegal loggers who turn the wood into charcoal and sell the fuel for use in cooking

Northern Ugandas revered shea trees are under threat from climate change and illegal loggers who turn the wood into charcoal and sell the fuel for use in cooking

Uganda chiefs fight to save 'sacred' shea trees felled for fuel

Despite a government ban on the cutting and transportation of shea trees in 2018 - and the sale of shea logs and products - they are still being felled in great numbers by charcoal dealers in northern Uganda, according to local leaders and experts. Rising temperatures and erratic rainfall are making matters worse as the trees produce less fruit and drought-hit farmers turn to the wood for additional income.