Conference Abstract | Volume 8, Abstract NACNDC/19JASH079 (Poster B35) | Published: 01 Dec 2025
Darius Ochola1,&, Henry Komakech2, Justine Bukenya2, Christopher Garimoi Orach2
1Makerere University School of Public Health, Uganda, 2Makerere University School of Public Health; Department of Community Health and Behavioural Sciences
&Corresponding author: Darius Ochola, Makerere University School of Public Health, P.O. Box 34028, Kampala, Uganda, Email: ocholadarius46@gmail.com
Received: 11 Sep 2025, Accepted: 20 Oct 2025, Published: 01 Dec 2025
Domain: Environmental Health
Keywords: Environmental degradation, awareness, practices, refugees, host communities, West Nile, Uganda
©Darius Ochola et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Darius Ochola et al., Awareness and practices of refugees and host communities towards environmental degradation in Odupi Sub-County, Terego District, West Nile, Uganda. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2025;8(ConfProc6):079. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO6-00079
Globally, environmental degradation is a major concern driven by poverty, rapid urbanization, industrial growth, deforestation and unsustainable farming. This study assessed awareness and practices of refugees and host communities in Terego district, West Nile, Uganda towards environmental degradation.
This was a qualitative exploratory study that assessed awareness and practices of refugee and host community towards environmental degradation in Odupi sub-county, Terego district. Ten Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were held with refugees and host communities, and 6 Key Informant Interviews (KII) were conducted. Thematic content analysis was carried out.
The study found that both refugees and host communities in Terego district are aware about environmental degradation, its causes and effects. The key drivers of environmental degradation reported were deforestation, overgrazing, bush burning, sand mining, poor farming practices, and swamp reclamation. The impacts of environmental degradation identified included loss of vegetation, soil infertility, and prolonged droughts. The major challenges to addressing environmental degradation included inadequate funding, human resource and political challenges. Key actors working to mitigate environmental degradation identified were, governmental and non-governmental organizations, National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), the Ministry of Water and Environment, United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), and Danish Church Aid (DCA).
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