A Welsh Government-funded project that has helped plant more than 25 million trees in Uganda is to lose its financial support from March 2027, as ministers review Wales’s international development priorities.
The Welsh Government has confirmed that it will not renew its annual £350,000 grant to the Mbale Trees Programme, bringing an end to financial support for one of Wales’s longest-running international environmental partnerships.
The decision, announced on Friday 6 November, affects a programme that has operated since 2009, supporting communities in eastern Uganda to restore degraded land, tackle deforestation and improve resilience to climate change.
More than £4 million of Welsh Government funding has been provided since 2015, helping the programme plant over 25 million trees.
The decision has prompted criticism from environmental campaigners and opposition politicians, while others have welcomed the move as an opportunity to redirect public money towards services in Wales.
Why has the funding been withdrawn?
The Welsh Government says the decision forms part of a wider review of its international activities and spending priorities.
Ministers are developing a new international strategy and considering how available resources can be used most effectively.
A Welsh Government spokesperson confirmed that the existing grant would not be renewed beyond 31 March 2027.
The Government stressed that the decision did not reflect concerns about the quality of the project or its achievements.
However, ministers have not yet confirmed where the £350,000 annual funding will be redirected or whether alternative support will be offered to the communities and organisations involved.
The withdrawal marks a change from the approach of previous Welsh Governments, which had supported the project as part of Wales’s international development and climate commitments.
What has the project achieved?
The Mbale Trees Programme operates in eastern Uganda, particularly around Mount Elgon, an area affected by deforestation, soil erosion and landslides.
Working with local communities, the programme has supported tree planting, environmental restoration and more sustainable land management.
Trees can help stabilise soil, reduce erosion, provide shade and support biodiversity. Depending on the species planted and how they are managed, they can also provide fruit, timber and other resources for local communities.
The project has become one of the most visible examples of Wales’s international environmental cooperation.
Its supporters argue that the programme demonstrates how relatively modest public investment can contribute to climate resilience and sustainable development in countries facing serious environmental challenges.
However, the headline figure of more than 25 million trees planted should not be confused with the number of trees surviving or the amount of carbon permanently captured. Those outcomes require separate long-term monitoring and evaluation.
Environmental charity disappointed
Size of Wales, the environmental charity associated with the programme, has expressed deep disappointment at the decision.
The charity argues that the partnership has delivered significant environmental and community benefits and that continued international cooperation is essential in responding to climate change.
Its chair, Tim Birch, has called on the Welsh Government to reconsider the withdrawal.
The decision creates uncertainty about the programme’s future and the extent to which existing activities can continue without Welsh Government financial support.
Although the current grant will run until March 2027, no replacement funding arrangement has been confirmed.
Political disagreement over spending priorities
The announcement has exposed differing views about the role of Welsh public money in supporting international projects.
The Welsh Conservatives and Reform UK have welcomed the withdrawal, arguing that Welsh Government resources should be concentrated on domestic priorities.
Welsh Labour and the Welsh Liberal Democrats have criticised the decision, questioning whether it is consistent with Wales’s environmental and international responsibilities.
The disagreement reflects a broader debate about how devolved governments should balance domestic public-service pressures against international cooperation and climate action.
Supporters of the project argue that environmental problems do not respect national boundaries and that Wales has a role to play in supporting communities facing the consequences of climate change.
Those supporting the withdrawal argue that limited public funds should be prioritised for services and communities within Wales.
What happens to the money?
The annual Welsh Government contribution to the Mbale Trees Programme is approximately £350,000.
Although a relatively small sum within the overall Welsh Government budget, it represents a substantial source of support for the project.
The Government has not identified a specific service or programme in Wales that will receive the funding following its withdrawal.
Consequently, claims that the decision will directly improve particular Welsh public services cannot yet be substantiated.
The Government will need to explain how the saving fits into its wider spending plans and what objectives its revised international strategy is intended to achieve.
There are also questions about whether withdrawing support from an established programme represents better value for money than continuing a partnership with existing infrastructure, expertise and community relationships.
That assessment would require detailed evidence about the project’s costs, environmental outcomes and longer-term benefits.
What about environmental education in Welsh schools?
Size of Wales also receives separate Welsh Government support for environmental education activities in Wales.
Its current education grant, reported to be worth approximately £280,000 annually, is due to reach the end of its existing funding period in March 2027.
However, the Welsh Government has indicated that the future of this funding is being considered separately.
The decision to end the Mbale grant does not automatically mean that the charity’s Welsh schools programme will also lose support.
What happens next?
The existing grant will continue until 31 March 2027, giving the organisations involved several months to consider alternative funding arrangements.
The Welsh Government is expected to provide further information about its international strategy and future priorities.
Important questions remain about the programme’s future, including whether other funders will step in, how existing environmental work will be maintained and what the withdrawal means for the communities involved.
The decision also raises a wider question about Wales’s approach to international environmental cooperation.
Successive Welsh Governments have presented projects such as Mbale as evidence that a small nation can make a practical contribution to tackling global challenges.
The current administration has now chosen to end funding for one of the longest-established examples of that approach.
Whether the withdrawal represents a change in Wales’s international ambitions, or simply a redistribution of limited resources, will become clearer when ministers publish their new strategy and explain where the money will be spent.
