Innate Environmental Behavior
By: Mohammed Ahmed Al-Feelabi
A woman, perhaps a hundred years old or more, her body slender, her eyes sparkling with life, rides her bicycle in the rain through the village houses and farms of Uganda. Her grandson says she has only visited a doctor for a routine check-up required for official paperwork. Although she owns several properties in the capital, Kampala, she, like many elderly people, responds to the call of the countryside.
Ugandans are generally a friendly and peaceful people with an innate, inherited behavior. They love their environment, and it rewards them generously. They don’t dig and fill in the earth when building, nor do they disturb it when constructing roads. Rain pours down on them for long hours each day, sometimes even days. The system of rainwater harvesting in homes is another indication of their respect for their environment.
Sudan alone has provided them with four waves of refugees since before 1983, when fighting resumed in South Sudan before its secession. The first wave consisted of some adventurous traders and military personnel affected by the conflict. As the conflict intensified, a wave of civilian refugees began, finding a warm welcome across the border, access to farmland, and schools and hospitals.
In 2003, the Darfur war erupted, escalating further in 2010. On both occasions, Uganda was one of the largest destinations for displaced people. Now, a fourth wave has begun since the outbreak of the current war, filling camps, homes, and streets with Sudanese refugees. Yet, Ugandans remain calm and welcoming. Perhaps a frown appears only when laws are broken by smoking in the streets or littering.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) considers Uganda the largest refugee-hosting country in Africa and the third largest globally, hosting 1.93 million refugees. Uganda is implementing the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework and the Global Compact on Refugees, integrating refugees into national systems, particularly in the education and health sectors. Uganda has welcomed refugees from wars across the continent, including those from Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Rwanda, Sudan, and South Sudan. The UNHCR estimates that there are approximately 600,000 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo alone.
Uganda’s population was estimated at around 52 million in 2025. In addition to refugees, there are communities from all corners of the globe who play significant roles in the economy, agriculture, and industry. The Indian community is one of the largest, alongside the Chinese and Pakistanis. European communities are smaller in number but have a considerable impact. Europeans have played a role since the colonial era, when the British established the Uganda Protectorate in 1894. This led to profound political, economic, and social changes from which Ugandans are attempting to recover by returning to their traditional, environmentally conscious practices. Will they succeed amidst the conflicting forces around them and the looming threat of climate change?