| dc.description.abstract | Wetland degradation has posed a serious threat to the environment given the many benefits wetlands offer. Wetlands are a source of clean water, fodder, construction materials and they sustain biodiversity. The wetland areas sustain humans by providing benefits to present and upcoming generations in the contexts of economy, society, and ecology. Wetland degradation is becoming a major environmental problem in the world moreover with unsustainable utilization. Masese wetland in Jinja District, Eastern Uganda is facing significant degradation due to various anthropogenic activities which not only threatens the ecological integrity of the wetland but also has socio-economic consequences for the people dependent on it. The purpose of the study was to assess the impacts of wetland degradation on the socio-economic welfare of the people in Jinja District, Masese wetland. The study was conducted in Masese and Walukuba-west parishes of Walukuba-Masese Division of Jinja District in Eastern Uganda. The specific objectives of the study were to; identify the underlying factors contributing to wetland degradation in Masese; identify the socio-economic benefits of the wetland to the people of Masese; and to examine how wetland degradation has affected the socio-economic welfare of the people in Masese. The study employed a cross sectional descriptive study type that was carried out in Jinja to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. Cross sectional design involved collecting data at one point in time. Qualitative data were obtained through field observations, face to face interviews with the key informant persons that were chosen purposively during the visit and quantitative data were obtained using a questionnaire that had both open and closed-ended questions which were to be asked to respondents to enable me to collect data easily. The data obtained was then analyzed using a statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). The human activities leading to Masese wetland degradation were construction of buildings, crop cultivation, animal rearing, fishing, industrial setup and tree growing. The effects of wetland degradation were flooding, food insecurity, reduced raw materials, reduced pastures, shortage of clean water, reduced local medicine and increased malaria prevalence. The study showed that people were to a greater extent affected by wetland degradation as implications of these activities extend far beyond the environmental sphere affecting livelihoods, health and overall socio-economic welfare of the people. The local authorities should tighten and accelerate efforts regarding wetland conservation. Enhanced attention, laws and policies have to be implemented to deal with encroachers since the outcomes are not locally restrained. Local people should be educated and encouraged to practice agriculture at the edges of the wetland not in the middle of the wetland. | en_US |
