This country planted 10 million trees in Uganda

'An area the size of Wales.'

For a British journalist, it's a classic comparison - and a useful one to convey the extent of deforestation or tree loss.

But now, a Welsh government-backed scheme has turned that comparison on its head, by working instead to protect rainforests.

The roots of change

Size of Wales works on projects across Africa - and beyond - with the support of the Wales for Africa programme. Its Mbale Trees project operates in eastern Uganda - an area that's suffered significant deforestation.

But, its impact extends far beyond the canopy.

Skills and schools

Trees have changed Anet Nabumati’s life.

With a series of failed ventures behind her, she was struggling to make ends meet. Married with five children, she lives on a small farm in Busiu, in the Mbale region of Uganda.

Then in 2011 she was selected to be among a group of farmers running tree nurseries to support the Mbale CAP/Size of Wales One Million Tree Planting Project. The scheme also aims to plant two trees for every child born or adopted in Wales - one planted in Wales and the other in the highly deforested areas of eastern Uganda.

Fast forward, and the 10 millionth tree has just been planted and Anet is successfully raising and distributing saplings for the project. Her newly learnt skills mean she can grow other trees and ornamental flowers, such as coffee plants, to sell to local farmers, supporting her household and enabling her to pay school fees.

A victim of extreme deforestation

Uganda’s forests are severely threatened. Between 1990-2010 the country lost almost a third of its tree cover, and tree numbers are continuing to decline - albeit at a slower rate - each year.

The hilly Mbale area is particularly affected, with swathes of trees lost to agricultural expansion, a growing population, and increasing demand for fuel and charcoal. Weak legal protection and enforcement means logging is also an issue.

Irregular but heavy rainfall means landslides have become an issue, occasionally proving fatal.

Replanting trees in the region helps stabilize the soil, preventing landslips, as well as shading crops from the hot sun. The tree varieties selected help to provide sustainable supplies of fruit and fuel.

The project has also empowered women like Anet in the Mbale region, who can earn their own income and run their own businesses.

Mount Elgon Tree Growing Enterprise (METGE) oversees the project on the ground. It works with four local NGOs - Share an Opportunity, Salem Brotherhood, MEACCE (Mount Elgon Agroforestry Communities Cooperative Enterprise) and Bungokho Rural Development Centre - who run a total of 39 nurseries.

What’s the World Economic Forum doing about deforestation?

Halting deforestation is essential to avoiding the worst effects of global climate change.

The destruction of forests creates almost as much greenhouse gas emissions as global road travel, and yet it continues at an alarming rate.

In 2012, we brought together more than 150 partners working in Latin America, West Africa, Central Africa and South-East Asia – to establish the Tropical Forest Alliance 2020: a global public-private partnership to facilitate investment in systemic change.

The Alliance, made up of businesses, governments, civil society, indigenous people, communities and international organizations, helps producers, traders and buyers of commodities often blamed for causing deforestation to achieve deforestation-free supply chains.

The Commodities and Forests Agenda 2020, summarizes the areas in which the most urgent action is needed to eliminate deforestation from global agricultural supply chains.

The Tropical Forest Alliance 2020 is gaining ground on tackling deforestation linked to the production of four commodities: palm oil, beef, soy, and pulp and paper.

Get in touch to join our mission to halt to deforestation.

The global picture

The issues Uganda faces are reflected around the world, with forests suffering as populations expand, agriculture encroaches and illegal logging takes its toll.