Nairobi, 17 September
2010 - Once home to populations of Chimpanzees
and Golden Monkeys, the sloping terrain
of Rwanda's Gishwati Forest has in recent
decades suffered severe environmental degradation
- made worse by extreme weather events.
Landslides, floods and
torrential rains have claimed lives, demolished
human settlements, and destroyed thousands
of hectares of forest and farmland. A United
Nations-led project and a generous funding
allocation from the Government are bringing
hope to the region.
In an effort to reduce
the vulnerability of local communities and
the ecosystem to climate change impacts,
the Government of Rwanda - guided by a UN
pilot project that mapped and developed
a comprehensive plan for land suitability
and use - has allocated US$25 million to
relocate human settlements from Gishwati
to safer zones.
The Climate Change and
Development Project - Adapting by Reducing
Vulnerability (CC DARE) - is jointly implemented
by the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) and the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) with funding from the Danish
Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Using small funds for
targeted short-term activities, that do
not exceed a six-month period, the programme
helps countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and
small island states integrate climate change
adaptation into national development planning
and decision-making. Demand-driven, CC DARE
is designed to complement and strengthen
ongoing and planned adaptation and risk
management activities based on national
priorities.
UN Under-Secretary General
and UNEP Executive Director, Achim Steiner,
said: "Integrating adaptation into
national development policies can strengthen
the ecosystems and thus the economy against
the impacts of climate change. Rwanda is
setting an early and a positive example
of how Africa can address current and perhaps
more importantly future climate vulnerability,
while also assisting towards meeting the
poverty-related Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs)."
Like other forests,
Rwanda's Gishwati Reserve - a protected
area in the northwestern part of the country
- provides key ecosystem services, including
the maintenance of soil quality, limiting
erosion, stabilizing hillsides, modulating
seasonal flooding, and providing a habitat
for biodiversity.
Up to 1978, the reserve's
forests remained largely intact. But images
released by NASA last year revealed Gishwati
has lost approximately 99.4 per cent of
its forest cover. Only 600 hectares of the
original 100,000 hectares of forest remain.
According to a UNEP
post-conflict study, Rwanda's post-colonial
civil war caused mass dislocation of entire
communities. In the 15 years that spanned
the genocide, waves of refugees fled the
fighting and settled in wetlands and forests.
The land was cleared for subsistence farming.
As a result, the health of the ecosystem
was severely compromised.
Director General of
Rwanda Environment Management Authority,
Dr. Rose Mukankomeje, said: "Overcoming
the degradation of the Gishwati Forest has
been at the heart of Rwanda's national development
efforts. The revision of the Land Suitability
and Land Use Map Plan by the UNEP-UNDP CC
DARE programme is a huge national success
story that has paved the way to building
future benefits. The allocation of US$25
million is part of the national effort to
build on CC DARE's work in rehabilitating
the Gishwati Forest, making it less vulnerable
to climate change impacts."
Danish Environment Ambassador,
Margit Thomsen, pointed out that the Climate
Adaptation programme was launched to meet
a demand for fast financing and technical
advice to assist African governments meet
the economic and social development challenges
aggravated by climate change. "The
aim was to build up national experience
from small, innovative model-projects addressing
adaptation to climate change, while paving
the way for scaled up programs. The Danish
Government, having provided a total of US$8
million to the programme, is pleased to
note that the programme is now well underway
in 11 African countries. The success of
the programme in Rwanda through its generation
of additional funds for scaled up programs
is exemplary and will serve as model for
CC DARE cooperation in other countries.
On behalf of the Danish Government, I wish
the Government of Rwanda a successful continued
collaboration with CC DARE," she added.
Risk studies conducted
by the UNEP-UNDP team conclude that if further
erosion to the Gishwati forest is to be
avoided, 43 per cent of the terrain - around
2844 hectares - should be used for pasture,
forest plantation and fruit tree plantation.
Among the 2,844 hectares, 1,393 hectares
will be preserved and invasive human activities
will not be allowed. The remaining 1,451
hectares will be used for fruit tree plantation.
Rehabilitation efforts
will maximise Rwanda's chances of playing
a bigger role in global carbon trading through
the establishment of new carbon sinks in
Gishwati.
The Land Use Plan, developed
by the project, outlines agroforestry techniques
to maximise carbon sequestration - or the
process of depositing carbon from the atmosphere.
For example, soil fertility replenishment
and diversification of farming is recommended
in low risk areas, while the planting of
indigenous trees is recommended for moderate
to high risk areas.
Technical manuals were
also developed to help local government
and communities better manage forest resources.
The manuals provide detailed information
on land use, such as, field validation for
carbon sequestration, land suitability for
planting high-value cops, soil resilience,
sustainable farming systems, bridging food
security critical periods, and strategies
to cope with climate variability.
The success of the CC
DARE project has helped Rwanda leverage
other funds such as US$15.9 million from
the UNFCCC Least Developed Country Fund
and UNDP, among other sources. It is also
paving the way for innovative action towards
climate change adaptation in Africa's most
densely populated country.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Rwanda is one of eleven
countries under the CCDARE programme. Other
countries include Benin, Ethiopia, Ghana,
Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal, Seychelles,
Tanzania, Togo and Uganda.
With an estimated population
in excess of 9 million, Rwanda is Africa's
most densely populated country.
More information on
CC DARE is available at www.ccdare.org
