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impacts include the greening of the previously degraded
Bugesera Region and the afforestation of Umutara in
Eastern province. The Gishwati Area Conservation
Programme, initiated in 2007, has increased its forest
reserve by 67 per cent, benefiting the chimpanzee popu-
lation, which is on the brink of extinction. About 10
per cent of Rwanda’s territory consists of protected
areas. The conservation of national parks also has
direct economic benefits, as tourism makes the largest
contribution to GDP of all sectors in the economy. In
implementing the policy, the Government is working
to maximize the participation of a wide range of stake-
holders, including public institutions, civil society,
private operators, youth associations and women.
The Rwandan people benefit from the restored forests
through improved food security and poverty alleviation.
This is due to the role that forests play in the preven-
tion of land degradation and protection of watersheds
– important preconditions for improving agricultural
productivity and sustainability.
The Gambia won its Future Policy Award after estab-
lishing itself as one of the first African countries to
introduce a community forest management approach.
Its Forest Department managed to achieve a net forest
cover increase of 8.5 per cent over the last two decades
and its Community Forest Policy is recognized as one of
the most inspiring and innovative in the world.
Prior to the forest policy reform of 1995, the Gambian
law emphasized Government ownership and manage-
empowerment are strongly interconnected. Transferring land and
resource ownership to local communities is a way to prevent over-
exploitation of resources and the positive spill-over effects can
empower local African populations to take charge of their lives.
The late Wangari Maathai, founder of the Green Belt Movement,
Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Honorary World Future Councillor,
commended Rwanda for its approach to managing the country’s forests,
remarking: “Rwanda has sought not only to make its forests a national
priority, but has also used them as a platform to revolutionize its stance
on women’s rights and create a healthy environment.”
Despite continuing population and land pressures, Rwanda is one
of only three countries in Central and Western Africa to achieve a
major reversal in the trend of declining forest cover. Its National
Forest Policy, which has the ambition of making forestry one of the
bedrocks of the economy and of the national ecological balance,
was implemented in 2004 and updated in 2010. The Government
is currently implementing an Economic Development and Poverty
Reduction Strategy, which considers the reversal of deforestation
to be a crucial factor in alleviating poverty. It has set the goal of
increasing forest cover to 30 per cent of the country by 2020. There
has already been an increase of 37 per cent since 1990.
Principles in practice
The guiding principles of Rwanda’s National Forest Policy cover a
wide range and reach, from the development of agroforestry and
sustainable forest management to the protection of endangered
plant species and fragile ecological zones. The forest fund budget
increased by approximately US$1 million between 2004 and 2010,
largely spent on afforestation and reforestation programmes. Positive
Community forest management in The Gambia
Tree planting in Rwanda
Image: Kanimang Camara, NACO
Image: UNEP REMA