This Act consists of 15 Parts divided into 108 sections and three Schedules: Interpretation (I); General principles (II); Institutional Arrangements (III); Environmental planning (IV); Environmental Regulation (V); Establishment of Environmental Standards (VI); Management of the Environment (VII); Control of Pollution (VIII); Environmental Restoration Orders and Environmental Easements (IX); Records, Inspection and Analysis (X); Information, Education and Public Awareness (XI); Financial Provisions (XII); Offences and Penalties (XIII); Judicial Proceedings (XIV); International Obligations (XV).
The extensive interpretation section includes definitions of "biodiversity", "beneficial use", "environmental audit", "environmental impact assessment", "good environmental practice", and "wetland". General principles of environmental management are outlined in section 3. A National Environment Management Authority is established as a corporate body under section 5. It shall function under the general supervision of the Minister. The Agency shall coordinate the Government policy on the management of the environment, propose strategies, review and approve environment impact assessments and has the power to initiate legislative proposals (sect. 7). Section 8 provides for a Policy Committee on the Environment at Ministerial Level. The Policy Committee shall provide policy guidelines for the Authority. Pursuant to section 14 the Authority shall establish a District Environment Committee for each district. A National Environment Act Plan, to be reviewed every 5 years, is prepared by the Authority (sect. 18). District Committees shall prepare a District Environment Plan which shall be consistent with the National Plan (sect. 19). Provisions of Part V provide for project briefs, environment impact assessments, environment impact assessment statements to be submitted to a "lead agency" and environmental audits to be carried out by the Authority. Section 36 concerns the protection of river banks and lake shores, section 37 places restrictions on the use of wetlands. Other matters dealt with in Part VII are: limits on the use of lakes and rivers (sect. 35); the management of wetlands (sect. 38); identification of hilly and mountainous areas (sect. 39); re-forestation and afforestation of hills and mountains (sect. 40); guidelines for the conservation of biological diversity (sect. 42), biological resources in-situ (sect. 43) and ex-situ (sect. 44) to be prescribed by the Authority; access to genetic resources in Uganda (sect. 45); management of forests (sect. 46) and the management of rangelands (sect. 48); land use planning (sect. 49), and; the control of pollution and waste (remaining sections). Environmental restoration orders may be issued by the Authority (sect. 69) and by a court (sect. 72). An environmental easement may be imposed by a court on burdened land for the purposes outlined in section 73. Such easement shall be registered in the Registration of Titles Act pursuant to section 76. (Schedules: Composition and Proceedings of the Policy Committee )I); Composition and Proceedings of the Board of the Authority (II); Projects to be Considered for Environmental Impact Assessment (III).