A former biology teacher-turned environmentalist is in a crusade in Uganda to save the once bustling trees of shea butter - cosmetics known as "Women's Gold."

Mustafa Gerima wants local communities to stop cutting down trees to make charcoal - they are talking about oil extracted from the fruit (also used in cooking).

When he returned home six years ago, he gave up teaching and dedicated himself to the trees and was shocked to discover that the lush Mount Kei Central Forest Reserve, once used wild shea, had been transformed into a nearly savage open-air with stumps scattered on it.

Now nicknamed "Bwana Shea" or Mr. Shea, he walked from villages in the northwest of the country to protect what he regarded as a disappearing treasure.

He said locals lost interest in the trees and began cutting them off as farmers failed to harvest.

Mr Gerima told the BBC: "Thirty years ago, the production model of shea tree was. It bloomed in December and then by the time it arrived in April, it was ready."

"But now this drought has been around for a long time due to climate change. So it affects the production of shea."

The charcoal from milk tree is becoming more popular, making the situation worse. It is said that the burning is longer More than other charcoal.

"Our communities are affected by poverty. So they see trees as cheap sources of income," Grima said.

According to the country's Ministry of Environment, Uganda estimates that it will lose an estimated 100,000 hectares (250,000 acres) of forest cover, a large portion of which includes shea trees.

Shea trees grow in the wild from west to east Africa - a huge strip called the "Shea Belt". However, the population of shea e-tree has dropped sharply in the past year.

This loss, coupled with the poor harvest, has a direct impact on local shea butter producer Mariam Chandiru, among others in the northern town of Koboko.

"We're going to bring good money to take our kids to school and take care of our families. But now my business is falling apart, and that's a huge setback."

“I used to sell up to five jerry cans of shea butter every week, and now I can only fill up to two jerry cans.”

Traditionally, women collected nuts from shea trees to produce Nilora Shea butter, which has a reputation for their cosmetic and culinary uses.

Professor John Bosco Okullo, a leading agroforestry expert at Makererere University in Uganda, has been studying shea fruit trees for more than two decades, and he also blames years of insecurity on these issues.

“In the 1990s, communities used to own and protect shea trees,” the EU project aimed at protecting and exploiting trees told the BBC.

This was destroyed in much of the country by a rebel group called the "LRA" led by Joseph Kony, who was notorious for kidnapping children - forcing boys to become fighters and keep girls as sex slaves.

The rebels were largely wiped out, but nearly 20 years of conflict drove people out of villages and found security in camps.

Other communities were affected by dangerous cattle raids - which also resulted in the displacement of thousands of people in the early 2000s.

Professor Okullo said: “After the Lord’s resistance attacks and the civil strife, the sense of ownership disappeared.”

“When people return, they adapt to short-term gains like charcoal burning.”

Professor Okullo agrees with Mr Gerima that climate change has further exacerbated this situation.

"Performance has declined. The trees have no flowers and fruits.

Rapid urban expansion is another threat.

Professor Okullo said: "Most of these places that once had shea trees now have new areas, new hospitals, schools."

"You find shea trees are under development. We need certain planting. Otherwise, it will be difficult if we are waiting for natural regeneration."

Although it seems to be a frustrating view, Professor Okullo cheered up from athletes like Mr. Gerima.

The former teacher’s most famous initiative involves 19 days, 644 kilometers (400 miles) of walking in 2020.

He hiked from Kampala, Uganda's capital to the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) headquarters in Nairobi, the capital of neighboring Kenya.

Professor Okullo said: “At present, there are many NGOs that mobilize the community.”

“People are planting new trees to protect those regenerated trees from stumps.

"Some people even use grafting techniques to shorten the juvenile stage - which used to take 15 to 20 years before fruiting, and now some trees have fruited earlier."

To meet rising demand and support sustainable supply chains, professors and colleagues are embracing technology.

"We are working with colleagues in computer science and physics to use artificial intelligence so that we can map mature shea trees and try to project yields," he said.

The Uganda government also recognizes the vulnerability of milk fruit trees. In 2023, it cuts trees illegally.

But law enforcement is very mottled.

Professor Okullo said: “There was a presidential order to stop cutting shea but it was difficult to implement.”

"The demand for charcoal is the highest in urban areas. People who cut down trees are not trees that use charcoal. We need to provide cities with alternative energy to reduce demand."

This is still a personal issue for Mr. Gerima.

“It always brings me a lot of pain to see people cutting trees,” he said.

He continued to go a long way to increase his visibility, talked to local councils, and organized planting motivation.

“It can’t be a problem for one person – it has to bring about a consistent effort, collective responsibility.”

His next steps include launching a grassroots tree monitoring program and working with schools to integrate conservation into local curriculum.

He said his mission was not only to preserve a tree, but to preserve a lifestyle.

"We need to think about our descendants. If they come and only find the stump, how would they think of us?"