In Alebtong, Uganda, climate activist Lucy Everlyn Atim returned after six years working in South Sudan’s refugee settlements to find her favorite shea tree had been cut down, a fate shared by many shea trees across northern Uganda due to charcoal production.

Uganda loses an estimated 122,000 hectares of forest annually, primarily from charcoal production and logging. With about 90 percent of households relying on charcoal for cooking, indigenous species such as shea and Afzelia africana are rapidly disappearing. Research by Makerere University revealed that mature shea tree populations on fallow land declined from about 20 trees in 2008 to between 10 and 15 by 2017.

Concerned by this environmental loss, Atim advocates for protecting these trees while providing alternative fuel sources. One such alternative is the production of briquettes from shea husks. Akello, a 47-year-old mother of five, told Al Jazeera, “I don’t have to worry about buying charcoal whenever I want to cook because I make my own briquettes from shea husks.”

Beyond fuel innovation, the Moyao Africa Initiative runs environmental clubs in 20 schools across Alebtong District and collaborates with the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) to distribute tree seedlings, encouraging local communities to restore the landscape.

These efforts aim to balance the urgent need for cooking fuel with the preservation and restoration of Uganda’s indigenous forests.

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