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Biodiversity
Rwanda has diverse habitats and ecosystems that range from humid montane forests to savannahs, lakes, rivers and wetlands which support a wide range of biodiversity. Rwanda’s biodiversity play a critical ecosystem services such as water, soil erosion and flood control as well as climate change mitigation.
Three components of biodiversity are ecosystem, species and genetic diversity.
Ecosystem diversity
Rwanda is in the highlands of the Albertine Rift, an important ecological structure in the region of eastern and central Africa, a generally mountainous region heavily dissected by a complex network of rivers, lakes, and wetlands; thus, the name “the land of a thousand hills”. The highest peak is Karisimbi (4,507m), one of 8 major volcanoes in the Virunga Mountains. Rwanda’s landscapes and natural forests in particular are very rich in biodiversity including numerous species that are endemic. Rwanda has diverse ecosystems that range from humid montane and planted forests to savannahs, water resources and wetlands. The country has the largest mountain rainforests in Africa, which is home to closedcanopy forests, bamboo thickets and open flower-filled marshes.
Species diversity
Rwanda is home to 402 mammal species (about 40 percent of Africa’s mammalian species); 1,061 bird species, 293 reptile and amphibian species and 5,793 higher plant species (REMA, 2019b). Mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) generate important tourism revenue and are found in only two other countries – Uganda and the DRC. The Chimpanzee (Pan troglodyte), another critically endangered species, has about 500 individuals. There are many other primates including endemic species that have made Rwanda a primatologist’s paradise (RoR, 2020b).
Genetic diversity
Genetic material is any material of plant, animal, microbial, bacteria or other origin used for research or product development. In order to know and understand the diversity present in the country, an inventory of plant, animal and aquatic genetic resources must be carried out.
In Rwanda, there is a rich history of traditional knowledge related to medicinal plants, agriculture, animal husbandry, food storage, natural resource management, ecological systems and wildlife. Most of this knowledge is oral and passed from generation to generation usually within families. With a growing market needs for ‘nature based’ cosmetics, medicines, pesticides, there is a constant search for new plants, microbes, animal parts (Genetic Resources) that can be commercialized or purely researched and knowledge of local communities on how to utilize or maintain these genetic resources (associated Traditional Knowledge) are helpful ‘strings’ for identifying claims.
Rwanda has 9 Protected Areas Covering 232,000 ha of the land or about 9.11 percent of the country The proposed National Land Use & Development Master Plan NLUDMP) 2020-2050 land use balance sheet 2050 has set 37.7 percent of the country's surface to be set aside for conservation purposes and this is expected to meet the global set targets of 27 percent under the SDG’s program (RoR, 2020a).
Three of the protected areas are transboundary i.e., Greater Virunga landscape bordering Rwanda, Uganda, DRC (area 1,500,000 ha), Kagera TFCA among Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda (25,000 ha), Nyungwe- Kibira between Rwanda and Burundi (117,100 ha).
Description and Facts
The most important threats to forests and biodiversity in Rwanda includes: -
▪ High population density, poverty and few income generating alternatives to reduce pressure on ecosystems
▪ Low levels of alternative skills among the local people limit their source of livelihoods to subsistence agriculture and exploitation of natural resources
▪ Inadequate capacity for biodiversity and ecosystem management planning and implementation at national and local levels
▪ Climate change especially due to variations in the precipitation patterns has also been noted to have a significant impact on biodiversity and ecosystems functions.
Gishwati-Mukura Landscape Biosphere Reserve was designed as biosphere reserve in 2020. The Gishwati Forest was first established as a forest Reserve in 1933. In 2016, Rwanda gazetted this area as the fourth national park called Gishwati-Mukura. It consists of Gishwati Forest Reserve (1,570 hectares) and the Mukura Forest Reserve (1,988 hectares).
The Gishwati-Mukura Landscape is located in the Albertine Rift in the western part of Rwanda. This young national park is a global biodiversity hotspot, including a variety of endemic and endangered species. The reserve is recognized for its two primate species: The Eastern Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthi) and the Golden monkey (Cercopithecus (mitis) kandti), which are endemic and endangered. Other species such as the Sidestriped Jackal (Canis adustus), a variety of bats, and small mammals claim this forest as their home.
The vegetation on the reserve includes three species of bryophytes (Porella abyssinica, Leptoscyphus ecxpansus and Cololejeunea parva) that occur exclusively in the Gishwati Forest. Gishwati-Mukura Landscape Biosphere Reserve has a population of approximately of 337,782 people in local communities. The main economic activities include agriculture through sustainable land management activities, silvopastoralism, agroforestry and tourism. 10 percent of all revenue generated with tourism in the National Park in the Biosphere Reserve's core area is allocated to community development projects. (UNESCO, 2020).
Gishwati-Mukura Landscape Biosphere Reserve was designed as biosphere reserve in 2020. The Gishwati Forest was first established as a forest Reserve in 1933. In 2016, Rwanda gazetted this area as the fourth national park called Gishwati-Mukura. It consists of Gishwati Forest Reserve (1,570 hectares) and the Mukura Forest Reserve (1,988 hectares).
The Gishwati-Mukura Landscape is located in the Albertine Rift in the western part of Rwanda. This young national park is a global biodiversity hotspot, including a variety of endemic and endangered species. The reserve is recognized for its two primate species: The Eastern Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthi) and the Golden monkey (Cercopithecus (mitis) kandti), which are endemic and endangered. Other species such as the Sidestriped Jackal (Canis adustus), a variety of bats, and small mammals claim this forest as their home.
The vegetation on the reserve includes three species of bryophytes (Porella abyssinica, Leptoscyphus ecxpansus and Cololejeunea parva) that occur exclusively in the Gishwati Forest. Gishwati-Mukura Landscape Biosphere Reserve has a population of approximately of 337,782 people in local communities. The main economic activities include agriculture through sustainable land management activities, silvopastoralism, agroforestry and tourism. 10 percent of all revenue generated with tourism in the National Park in the Biosphere Reserve's core area is allocated to community development projects. (UNESCO, 2020).
The Volcans Biosphere Reserve is part of the Albertine Rift, an especially important ecological structure in the region of eastern and central Africa. It has a surface area of 160,000 ha covered by rainforest and bamboo. It is home to 30 percent of global population of mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei). It has 115 mammals’ species, 187 bird species, 27 reptile 77 and amphibian species, and 33 arthropod species. It has 13 orchid species protected by CITES, and 3 endangered reptile species. It has also 245 plant species, 17 of which are threatened as per IUCN red list.
Rwanda has following two UNESCO Biosphere reserves: - Volcans Biosphere Reserve designed in 1983 is located in northwestern of Rwanda on the border between Rwanda, DRC and Uganda and is composed by five volcanoes including Kalisimbi, Muhabura, Bisoke, Sabyinyo and Gahinga.
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