NIYIBIKORA PASCAL winner of OFAB Rwanda Media Awards Radio category 

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Protecting and restoring Rwanda’s natural forests

 

Restored Forests in Rwanda

Every minute of the day, we breathe in oxygen from the air around us. 

Without this colourless and odourless gas, humans and much of life on Earth simply wouldn’t exist. That’s just one reason why trees, forests and plant life are so important.

Not only do they produce the oxygen we breathe, they also help to cool the planet, filter pollutants and promote rainfall. You only need to spend a day in Nyungwe National Park to understand the power of forests. 

It is for these reasons that Rwanda has prioritised forests for more than twenty years. Following decades of deforestation, the decision was taken to strengthen protections for natural forests, expand national parks through proper demarcation and buffer zones, and promote a vibrant and productive forestry industry. 

Rwanda set the ambitious target to achieve 30% forest coverage by 2020, and thanks to strong partnerships between the Government of Rwanda, the private sector, development partners and citizens, this goal was achieved a year early.

A forest coverage map produced in 2019 showed that there was a more than 20% increase in forest coverage over the previous ten years - equating to a 5% afforestation rate over 10 years. Today, 30.4% of the country is covered with various types of forests.

Our goal is to maintain this level of coverage, while increasing the health and productivity of our forests. Despite this accomplishment, more remains to be done to protect forests and build a productive and high value timber and wood industry.

This is especially true for the country’s natural forests, including smaller remnant forests, that are home to rich biodiversity.

Forests in Rwanda now occupy 724,695 hectares of the country’s total land area, of which 130,850 hectares is natural forests, 161,843 hectares is wooded savannah and 43,963 hectares is shrubs.

Gishwati-Mukura National Park.                                      

The country’s 111 natural forests include large rainforests such as Nyungwe, Volcanoes and Gishwati-Mukura national parks as well as smaller forests. Natural forests are state-owned and are managed sustainably.

They are not harvested, and while no other activities can be carried out within these forests, some have become degraded over time and reforestation and regeneration efforts are underway.

In 2011, Rwanda committed to restoring two million hectares of degraded land, including natural forests, by 2030. Today, the country has 708,629 hectares under restoration, an effort which has created more than 22,000 jobs and resulted in 102,154,014 tonnes of carbon dioxide being sequestered.

As part of meeting this global commitment and protecting our environment, Rwanda is undertaking a number of initiatives to restore natural forests.

Following the restoration of the Gishwati-Mukura landscape (now a UNESCO Biosphere reserve), the Government of Rwanda and partners are embarking on a 6-year project to rehabilitate the Amayaga region using a forest landscape restoration approach.

One of the largest investments in Rwanda’s forests to date, the Green Amayaga project will restore 550 hectares of natural forests in the area, including the 354 hectare Kibirizi-Muyira forest and the Busaga forest reserves.

Nyungwe National Park. /Photo courtesy

The Green Gicumbi project is restoring degraded watersheds through sustainable forestry. The Rwanda National Adaptation Planning Process project is also promoting agroforestry alongside the Ibanda-Makela Natural Forest in Kirehe District with drought resistant tree species to reduce soil erosion.

Other initiatives underway include the annual tree planting campaign, which will this year see more than 25 million trees planted, and working with private operators to ensure forestry concessions complement natural forest management and rehabilitation.

These are just a few examples that show the efficient and sustainable management of forestry resources, including natural forests, requires a multifaceted approach.

That is why Rwanda has introduced a 6-year strategic plan for the forestry sector to enhance the capacity of industry stakeholders to sustainably manage forests through integrated forest management plans at all levels.

These efforts will not only fully restore and expand natural forests, but also create a productive and profitable forestry industry in Rwanda that contributes positively to the country’s environmental protection and climate resilience goals.

A story of Jean Pierre Mugabo , the Director General of the Rwanda Forestry Authority published by the Newtimes.

Rwanda to open Gishwati-Mukura Park for tourism in December

 

The Gishwati-Mukura landscape was named among the World Network of Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO on Wednesday, October 28. Rwanda’s newest national park is located in the north-western part of the country in the districts of Rutsiro and Ngororero. Photo: File.

Rwanda is set to open, to visitors, Gishwati-Mukura National Park, which was recently upgraded to a UNESCO biosphere reserve.

The move has added impetus to Rwanda’s ambitions of doubling its annual tourism receipts to $800 million by 2024. 

The country is keen on accelerating the recovery of the tourism industry, which was severely hit by the Covid-19 outbreak. 

“We are preparing to use Gishwati-Mukura Park for tourism activities. We were still in restoration activities and we will open it for tourists before the end of this year,” said Ariella Kageruka, the Head of Tourism and Conservation Department at Rwanda Development Board (RDB).

Kageruka made the revelation at the handover of the Rwf900 million Gishwati-Mukura tourism headquarters.

The headquarters, which include administrative block, was handed over to Rwanda Development Board (RDB) by Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA).

In 2014, Rwanda received $9.5 million from the Global Environment Facility through the World Bank to restore the forest and biodiversity in Gishwati-Mukura forest.

“Now that it has become a park for tourism, it will complement other parks to increase tourism revenues,” she said. “A study for park management and tourism promotion was carried out for Gishwati-Mukura Park. It also shows biodiversity species that could attract tourists. This will boost the national economy as other parks have been doing.”

She noted that tourists are expected to stay long for exploring other tourist sites including the new park.

“The longer they stay, the more revenues we’ll generate,” she said.

Inside the biosphere reserve

Rwanda’s newest national park is located in the north-western part of the country in the districts of Rutsiro and Ngororero.

Covering 35.4 square kilometres, the park is a global biodiversity hotspot, including a variety of endemic and endangered species.

After decades of poorly managed land use, the country has been carrying out a major restoration effort, moving towards a socio-economic development based mostly in eco-tourism.

A golden monkey in Gishwati-Mukura forest national Park. Just last month, the Gishwati-Mukura landscape was named a UNESCO biosphere reserve. Now, the park is set to be opened for tourism. / Photo: Courtesy

Kageruka said that the biosphere reserve has attractive animals such as golden monkeys, blue monkeys, and chimpanzees and over 130 bird species including endemic species that have to be protected.

Of these bird species, 15 species uniquely appear in Gishwati-Mukura forest.

Other species such as the Side-striped Jackal (canis adustus), a variety of bats, and small mammals claim this forest as their home.

A recent biodiversity survey showed that there are 492 plant species which are indigenous species and 22 mammal species.

There are birds such as white black vultures, crown eagles and 23 species of amphibians.

The vegetation on the reserve includes three species of bryophytes (Porella abyssinica, Leptoscyphus expansus and Cololejeunea parva) that occur exclusively in the Gishwati Forest.

The reserve has a population of approximately 337,782 people in local communities whose main economic activities include agriculture through sustainable land management activities, silvopastoralism, agroforestry and tourism.

“We will keep collaborating with communities around Gishwati-Mukura to ensure its sustainability as it will soon start generating revenues. Even though visitors are yet to start visiting the park RDB has allocated more than Rwf300 million to the revenue sharing program in communities around Gishwati-Mukura forest,” Gageruka said.

Juliet Kabera, the Director General of Rwanda Environmental Management Authority (REMA) which led the landscape restoration added that the project also conducted the tourism development master plan for Gishwati-Mukura National Park.

The master plan indicates that tourism attractions also include wildlife and game viewing, trekking and hiking, landscape and nature viewing, adventure and sports activities, community-based tourism, culture and heritage.

The attractions, again, include rivers and waterfall trains, tea trail, canopy viewpoint, hiking and bike trails inside the forest which links the park to the Lake Kivu trails.

 A story from The Newtimes

 

"Effective natural water management require mutual partnership of all involved parties". Experts

Garbage moved by erosion and floods from heavy rains

Experts in water management suggest a mutual partnership of all involved parties, for a better solution of natural water management. It includes the primary catchments treatment of rivers that serve the river Nile.

 This call came while communities neighboring rivers around the country suffer consequences of their mistreatment chiefly in the rainy season.

Sebeya River located in Rubavu District, of the western province; is one of the rivers that worsen the livelihood of communities around it especially in periods of heavy rains. This rainfall erodes mountain soil down the rivers to cause the mistreatment of potable water in their treatment plants; which results in water scarcity. 

Mr. Theoneste Nshimyumuremyi who works at Gihira Water Treatment Plant qualify it as the most dangerous effects of water sources mistreatment.

“Our work is to make water from Sebeya River into clean water, in case there is a heavy rainfall, these flooded rivers bring muddy water of soil erosion from the surrounding mountains. he said. Adding "; In that case, the treatment of water became hard and unrealized that impose us to stop the treatment. it cost us the big loss of water scarcity in Rubavu households even the Bralirwa Brewery”

River Nyabarongo water flooded Kigali Roads

River Nyabarongo which is part of the upper headwaters of the river Nile flows all the way toward the real Nile; But the ill-treatment of its catchments, which resulted in floods causes serious problems to the livelihoods of the population and even the destruction of infrastructures like roads.

Kwitonda Philippe who works with Rwanda Water and Forestry Authority, a body mandated to take care of forest and water resources management; commended the tree plantation and the on-hold creation of terraces around the country as the best solution to combat water pollution.

“We conducted a survey locating most eroded areas; we figured out that there is a vast area of the country that needs to be taken care of in terms of erosion management, as we know that soil erosion is the worst water pollutant. Kwitonda recalled. 

He suggested the possible solution by saying ''This means if the government gets terraces dug in the right locations and encourages forests planting; no doubt our water will be safe.”

Effects of mistreated water resources and deforestation

The destruction of land due to soil erosion and flooding doesn’t come as surprise to community members of Kanama sector, in Rubavu District as it takes away their farm’s richest part that nourishes crops, and occurred when rainfalls.

“We face serious effects of eroded soil, chiefly during the rain period when cultivating; we tend to have landslides and mudslides, but where we traced radical terraces it’s a different story as the floods come passing through without causing any harm to the crops and land in general.” said, citizens.

The ministry of natural resources in Rwanda in 2015 traced major drivers of Land degradation including low tree cover, high evapotranspiration, High human and animal population pressure, high soil erosion, bad agriculture practices, low rainfall, and unresponsive governance and policy framework. The Eastern Province in Rwanda is highlighted as the most affected part of the country as they occupy 61316 hectares that equal 47% of the total area highly affected. 

 The effects of soil erosion go beyond the loss of fertile land. It has led to increased pollution and sedimentation in streams and rivers. It is in this line that Minister Vincent Biruta of Natural Resources called upon mutual partnership and cooperation to achieve this course of water management.

"water in rivers and lakes is becoming more and more a serious problem especially during the dry season for human consumption, livestock, and ecosystems; we need to combine our efforts to come up with sustainable solutions in particular for this region. He said.    Government and development partners cannot take on the landscape and catchments rehabilitation and water shortages challenges on their own. Making sustainable and remarkable progress towards for 2020,2030 even 2050 targets requires involvement and investment commitment from a wide range of stakeholders."

 For the effectiveness of Water resources management, we need the togetherness of involved stakeholders.

Rwanda: “With the use of drones, the fight against malaria will be effectively achievable.” Officials

Spraying Drone in Rugende Marshland on 10th March 2020 /Photo Andy Rugema

On 10^th March 2020  Rwanda launched a “zero malaria start with me” campaign aiming at eliminating malaria by spraying larvicides in their breeding areas using a drone spraying technology in Rugende marshland located in Gasabo District, City of Kigali.

The use of drone technology is an added measure the government of Rwanda through ministry of health is implementing to achieve the 2030 target of Zero Malaria in Rwanda. This method kills mosquito larvae mainly in marshlands and other breeding sites of mosquitoes unlike to the traditional means of spraying insecticides on mature mosquitoes.

 Dr Daniel Ngamije ,the minister of Health labeled this technique as fighting an enemy in his headquarters.  “We will be killing mosquitoes where they breed from, in other words is to kill an enemy on spot of his camps without waiting for him to reach your home. “He said.

Dr Daniel Ngamije , Minister of Health /Photo Andy Rugema

The ministry of Health assure the effectiveness of the mean as it is faster in spraying mapped and well located space that houses mosquitoes with less man power and insecticides.

However Mr. Segore Teddy, Technical Director of Charis AUS who owns these spraying drones highlights the advantages of using this drone technology than manual use. 

Community Health Workers /Photo Andy Rugema

 “The advantage of the drone technology is that you can spray more efficiently the product rather than the manual way where you spray too much of the chemical and then spread all of the body. This drone technology is able to spray the right amount in the mosquitoes breeding sites, which makes it more effective and faster.” He said

He said that with this technology the barriers of reaching certain location which is hardly reachable when you are walking, with drone you spray easily by flying it over faster and achieve more with it.

A flight can last 20 minutes upward and spray one hectare by 30 minutes , or like in a day you may cover a couple of hundred hectares. And the drone carries the jerry can of 12 liters of larvicides. 

The ministry of healthy said that malaria is still a serious disease for the country whereby each year about 3 million of Rwandans fall sick of the sickness and some found death. 

Mosquito Net /Photo Andy Rugema

Though some measures have been taken to fight this disease include the distribution of insecticide treated mosquito nets with an aim to give out 7.5 million of them country wide; the government also decentralized the health services through Community health workers who treated 57% of malaria cases.

In addition the country is looking forward to spraying insecticides in the households from the most classified zones of malaria in southern province and Eastern Province; in order to achieve the goals of Zero Malaria starts with me movement and the 2030 agenda of eliminating Malaria on the African Continent.

Rwandan youth urged to change their mindsets and embrace coffee growing business.

Issa Nkurunziza Division Manager of Traditional Commodities at NAEB

The National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB) said there is need for youth to join the move of embracing various opportunities of coffee value chain to help the country to achieve its target of future targets of exports revenues of 80 million USD by 2020 and over 95 million USD in 2040 respectively.

The call was made by Issa Nkurunziza, Traditional Commodities Division Manager at NAEB, on Thursday during the training briefing session of sharing to youths, opportunities found in coffee value chain business.

“Nowadays people we have in coffee agriculture most of them are above 50 years, according to 2015 General Population and Housing Census shows that 51 percent of ages are in coffee plantation”. He said

He also say “If our in this kind of agriculture, it will be hard to find coffee in the next few years, that’s why we are encouraging descendants of coffee growers and others to invest in this sector for the purpose of increasing the production bit in quality and quantity so that we advance in the economic transformation we want for our country through exports earnings increment.”

Nkurunziza highlighted that all might start by liking our own products through consumption and engage in other coffee related business like joint ventures, wholesalers, retailers, roasters and join other companies that work hand in hand with farmers for coffee value addition that will contribute to the attainment of exports earning targets of the country.

Youth need to Embrace Coffee Business 

Jasper Skipper addressing Youths , Country Representative of AGRITTERRA

During the session some successful coffee farmers in the country shared their experience for the tough journey that always finds its climax in smiles on faces. 

Bizimana Anastase, An old man who leads Abakunda Kawa ba Rushashi, a cooperative of coffee growers operating  in Gakenke district Northern Province; has been in coffee business since hischildhood learning from his parents, recalled the fruitful journey that needs much sacrifice and patience.

“Many young people don’t have patience for the sustainable business, unlike to others coffee plantation need so much efforts and involvements in all required steps to harvest the good quality.” 

He noted on the occasion of one day training session aimed at bringing youths into the business by showing viable opportunities to embrace.

Some of these farmers are benefiting  from Dutch- farmers founded organization of farmers that help agriculture business by offering training sessions  and mentorship to the farmers in need, through their cooperatives.  

Youth need to Embrace Coffee Business

Jasper Spikker, the country representative of Agriterra recommend that youth must involve more creativity and courage in their agriculture activities, because to start a new coffee plantation takes some time and requires big land that many of young people can’t afford which is a hindrance to many.

“But there are some very talented coffee farmers but also talented agronomist which are young and which deserve opportunities,” he said.   “And we would like to help cooperatives to offer those opportunities , as Agriterra we can’t buy land for youth, but we would like to help cooperatives to think about strategies how they can welcome youths to join agriculture to join the services that elderly farmers need.”

Jasper Skipper addressing Youths , Country Representative of AGRITTERRA