2007年VOA标准英语-Plan to Clear-Cut Ugandan Forest Reserve for Gr

By Cathy Majtenyi
Kampala, Uganda
08 June 2007
 

In Uganda, there is widespread opposition¹ over a proposal to allow part of the Mabira Forest Reserve to be clear-cut for sugar cane² growing. Opponents say the move will destroy a delicate and unique African ecosystem³ and cause economic hardship to those who rely on the forest for their livelihoods⁴. Proponents⁵ argue that the plan will boost Uganda's economic and social development. Cathy Majtenyi recently visited Mabira Forest and files this report for VOA.

The Mabira Forest in Uganda

At the heart of the controversy⁶ is the 30,000-hectare Mabira Forest, located about 45 minutes east of the capital, Kampala.

First made a reserve in 1932, Mabira Forest has several important features. It is home to 30 percent of Uganda's birds, consisting of 315 species, including three globally-threatened ones such as the Nahan's Francolin.

The tropical rain forest contains 312 tree and shrub⁷ species, including Prunus Africana, which is used to treat prostrate⁸ cancer. There are also 23 species of small mammals.

Mabira Forest is a vital catchment area for Africa's largest fresh water body, Lake Victoria; Africa's longest river, the Nile; and other rivers and lakes that experts say serve thousands of people in the immediate⁹ area and millions downstream.

 

Ibrahim Senfuma is a nature guide at Mabira Forest. He says the diversity and uniqueness of the forest have helped him and his fellow Ugandans.

"I grew up not knowing how actually the inside of a hospital looks like," he said. "[When I] get malaria¹⁰, Mum goes to the bush, to the forest. At home we share a boundary [with Mabira Forest], so she could just move into the forest, come back with a few leaves, a few roots, and then malaria is gone,” he says. “Today, people who are bedridden with HIV/AIDS normally go to the forest [and] debark¹¹ some trees, not killing¹² them, but for medicine."

But what has Senfuma and others worried is a proposal by the Sugar Corporation of Uganda Limited to clear-cut 7,100 hectares of what the company says is degraded land on the forest's edges. The company is a joint¹³ venture of the India-based Mehta Group and the Ugandan government.

The sugarcane-growing operations cover 9,500 hectares near Mabira Forest. The company produces up to 50,000 tons of sugar per year and employs 6,000 people. The company says it needs the Mabira land to meet a projected sugar shortage of 170,000 tons a year in Uganda.

Suresh Sharma is regional director of African operations for the Mehta Group. He says the Mabira plan calls for employing 4,000 more people, and that his company in general has benefited Ugandans for the past 85 years.

"We provide employment to 6,000 people - 30,000 family members are living [on our estate]. We take care of all their medical requirements. We take care of their children's education,” says Sharma. “When the man who works for us retires, we employ his son or daughter. Besides this, we are also taking care of the environment by growing trees ourselves. In addition to that, we also distribute seedlings¹⁴ free of costs to the people around our areas."

But environmentalists and many local politicians say reducing the forest in any way will alter or destroy the whole forest's delicate ecosystem. And they also reject the company's economic arguments.

James Kunobwa-Kezaala is the speaker of the Mukono District Local Government. He says the company could help raise the living standards of many more residents of Mukono District by paying farmers directly for sugarcane grown on their farms rather than at the company's site.

"We have people already whom we have registered at the district, who number to 30,000 farmers. And if you take an estimate, each one maybe growing three acres per person -- three acres times 30,000 -- you have 90,000 acres of sugarcane ready by the people, not by the company,” he said.

Company regional director Sharma says he wrote to local government officials about hiring those farmers or procuring¹⁵ that land but did not receive a response.

There are also an estimated 20,000 people who directly or indirectly¹⁶ live off the forest.

Through agreements with the National Forestry¹⁷ Authority, individuals and groups such as the Mabira Forest Tendolye Women's Crafts and Farmers Group can go into certain areas of the forest and collect materials that they can use to make or process things. Members of the Tendolye Women's Group say they depend heavily on Mabira Forest to support their families.

Uganda has one of the highest deforestation rates in the world. Many Ugandans hope this trend does not continue in the widely-loved Mabira Forest as they wait for Uganda's parliament to vote on the proposed clear-cutting.

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 cane   

n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的

参考例句：

• This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
• English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。

3 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

4 livelihoods   

生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。

5 proponents   

n.（某事业、理论等的）支持者，拥护者( proponent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Reviewing courts were among the most active proponents of hybrid rulemaking procedures. 复审法院是最积极的混合型规则制定程序的建议者。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Proponents of such opinions were arrested as 'traitors. ' 提倡这种主张的人马上作为“卖国贼”逮捕起来。 来自辞典例句

6 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

7 shrub   

n.灌木，灌木丛

参考例句：

• There is a small evergreen shrub on the hillside.山腰上有一小块常绿灌木丛。
• Moving a shrub is best done in early spring.移植灌木最好是在初春的时候。

8 prostrate   

v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的

参考例句：

• She was prostrate on the floor.她俯卧在地板上。
• The Yankees had the South prostrate and they intended to keep It'so.北方佬已经使南方屈服了,他们还打算继续下去。

9 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

10 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

11 debark   

v.卸载；下船，下飞机，下车

参考例句：

• They debarked cargo from a ship.他们从船上卸下货物。
• All troops will debark in two hours.所有小队都会在两小时内登陆。

12 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

13 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

14 seedlings   

n.刚出芽的幼苗( seedling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Ninety-five per cent of the new seedlings have survived. 新栽的树苗95%都已成活。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• In such wet weather we must prevent the seedlings from rotting. 这样的阴雨天要防止烂秧。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

15 procuring   

v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的现在分词 )；拉皮条

参考例句：

• He was accused of procuring women for his business associates. 他被指控为其生意合伙人招妓。 来自辞典例句
• She had particular pleasure, in procuring him the proper invitation. 她特别高兴为他争得这份体面的邀请。 来自辞典例句

16 indirectly   

adv.间接地，不直接了当地

参考例句：

• I heard the news indirectly.这消息我是间接听来的。
• They were approached indirectly through an intermediary.通过一位中间人，他们进行了间接接触。

17 forestry   

n.森林学；林业

参考例句：

• At present, the Chinese forestry is being at a significant transforming period. 当前, 我国的林业正处于一个重大的转折时期。
• Anhua is one of the key forestry counties in Hunan province. 安化县是湖南省重点林区县之一。