Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

Rwanda is one of the top birding countries, with 670 bird species recorded in the country [ ] 190 Reforestation of the Gishwati Forest Reserve Between 1933 and the mid-1970s, the Gishwati natural forest reserve constituted the relic of the ombro- phyllous montane forests and covered approximately 280km². In the early 1980s, Gishwati lost 100km² through conversion to pasture and another 100km² to pine plantations. Popu- lation growth in the area during the 1980s led to demand for grazing, set- tlement, cropland and fuel food. Gish- wati was further deforested for cattle ranching development, followed by the resettlement of refugees after the 1994 genocide, when land was degraded due to the free-grazing of livestock, crop-farming exploitation and planta- tion of non-native tree species. Consequently, in 2005, more than 90 per cent of Gishwati was cultivated and the remaining remnant forest covered 600 ha. The forest reserve had lost most of its natural habitats and rich biodiversity and was plagued with flooding, landslides, erosion, de- creased soil fertility, decreased water quality and heavy river siltation, all of which aggravated poverty with- in the population surrounding the ecosystem. Recently, through various man- agement plans, the Gishwati natural forest reserve has gradually been restored. In 2005–2006, with efforts by the Forest Conservation Project to restore the forest, 286ha were added. Additionally, from 2008 to 2011, the Great Ape Trust/Gishwati Area Conservation Program worked on conservation and restoration of the Gishwati Forest Reserve and reforest- ed more than 598ha using indigenous species. This increased the current Gishwati Forest Reserve surface to an estimated 1,484ha. A grassroots organization, Forest of Hope Association, has been estab- lished in the Rutsiro District to help the local community play an active role in the protection of the Gishwati forest, through the establishment of a Community Forest Protection Initiative. This has prevented the ille- gal use of forest resources due to the commitment and collaboration of all stakeholders including local commu- nities. The area has been divided into a natural forest area, cattle ranching farms, rangeland and a cultivated area for crop production. Since 2016, the Gishwati Forest, to- gether with another local remnant for- est, Mukura Forest Reserve, has been upgraded to the Gishwati-Mukura National Park. The Government has mobilized funds to restore and reha- bilitate the landscape and to increase its resilience through a forest land- scape approach. The cultivated site is now regenerating due to implementa- tion of sustainable land management techniques, including the planting of native agroforestry species. A lthough Rwanda is a small country of 26,338 km 2 , it has a remarkable variety of ecosystems. The country has Guinea‐Congolese and Sudanese vegetation types, which include savannah with grasses, bushes and trees as well as mountain rainforests and mountain meadows. Forest galleries, swamps and aquatic vegetation also prevail. The country is located within the centre of the Albertine Rift in the western arm of Africa’s Rift Valley, which is one of the continent’s most biologically diverse regions. Rwanda has a well-established network of protected areas, consisting of three national parks (all of which are transboundary) as well as forest reserves, wetlands of global importance and forests of cultural importance. The Landscape Approach to Forest Restoration and Conservation (LAFREC) Project Creative Commons Rwanda