The LAFREC Project development and global environmental objective was to demonstrate landscape management for enhanced environmental services and climate resilience in one priority landscape. The project resulted in a major advance in the restoration of the highly degraded Gishwati-Mukura landscape, enhancing both productive and environmental values.

It worked concurrently in three major elements of the landscape: Rehabilitating forests and biodiversity within the Gishwati and Mukura Forest Reserves, enhancing sustainable land management in the agricultural lands between them, and Introducing silvo-pastoral approaches in the rangelands of the central former Gishwati Reserve.

These interventions were also complemented by livelihood diversification and the establishment of flood warning response systems to further enhance climate resilience for communities in the districts of Rutsiro, Rubavu, Nyabihu and Ngororero situated in the North-west part of Rwanda.

The LAFREC Project has improved the livelihoods of local communities, increased agricultural productivity by restoring the highly degraded Gishwati-Mukura landscape, created jobs and most importantly improved the management of forests and ecosystems in general.

The LAFREC Project has reached 40,482 household members who benefited from the project interventions and 53% are female. During the six years of implementation, the Project restored 603 hectares of Gishwati-Mukura National Park buffer zone in the co-management approach, restored 32 hectares from illegal mining activities, planted improved woodlots on 283 hectares private land and public forests on 634 hecares, and 446 hectares of farmland were managed under silvopastoralism approach among many other achievements.