Rwandans have been urged to bark efforts towards restoring and effectively exploiting wetlands in the country. The call was made during World Wetlands Day (WWD) which is marked every February 2.
This year's day was celebrated under the theme: "It's Time for Wetland Restoration". The call was made due to swamplands being lost three times faster than forests.
The theme selected by the Ramsar Convention--an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and 'wise use' of wetlands and their resources--is an urgent call for humanity to restore degraded wetlands, and ensure that they are conserved, and sustainably used in order to achieve global targets for climate, biodiversity and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Rwanda endorsed Ramsar Convention in December 2003.
"Well-managed and restored wetlands improve communities' resilience to climate change and disaster risks that our country is facing through heavy rain or drought, thanks to wetlands' capacity to absorb and release water in due course.
"I, therefore, call upon everyone to contribute and play an upper role in preserving, protecting, and restoring our wetlands for the common benefit of everyone. I encourage the private sector to invest in wetland rehabilitation and restoration initiatives," said Jeanne d'Arc Mujawamariya, Minister of Environment.
To ensure the sustainable use of wetlands, she noted, all illegal activities in wetlands must be avoided.
"We ought to work together so that other unsustainable activities operating within wetlands come to an end. Achieving these goals will only be possible with the involvement of all stakeholders. We are working with local government authorities, civil society, private sector, development partners and government agencies and media to ensure the true value of wetlands to our socio-economic development is understood and act accordingly," she added.
Mujawamariya said celebrating World Wetlands Day is a good opportunity for Rwanda to build on the achievements made in environmental conservation and protection.
"A well-restored wetland can provide many of the services performed by the original natural wetland, including revive biodiversity, replenish and filter water, store carbon, blunt the impact of floods and storms, improve livelihoods, boost eco-tourism and enhance well-being," she added.
Rwanda's progress in wetland restoration
Over 935 wetlands, covering a total area of 176,337 ha, are classified according to characteristics such as soil type, vegetation, hydrology, and climatic zone.
The Prime Minister's Order number 006/03 of 30/01/2017, lists all swamplands, their characteristics, and boundaries and determines modalities of their use, development, and management.
Furthermore, Rwanda has made substantial progress in wetland management, particularly in the restoration and rehabilitation of degraded wetlands.
It includes the restoration of Nyandungu Eco Park and the initiation of wetlands rehabilitation projects in the city of Kigali.
Those to be rehabilitated are Rugenge, Rwintare, and lower Nyabugogo wetland areas which will be rehabilitated as part of the already existing project, Rwanda Urban Development Project (RUDPII).
The achievements also include the relocation of industries, commercial and household infrastructures from wetlands, and the development of the Wetland Master Plan for Kigali City, among others.
Restoring Kigali's degraded wetlands
At the national level, the celebration of World Wetlands Day is devoted to inspections in urban wetland areas of the City of Kigali, to ensure enforcement and compliance with the regulations on wetlands management.
The restoration of five degraded wetlands in the City of Kigali will start in June this year.
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Studies show that 35 per cent of the world's wetlands have disappeared in the last 50 years, and the surface area of wetlands in Kigali decreased from 100 square kilometres to 77 square kilometres.
To curb the trend, the government of Rwanda has secured $12 million (approx. Rwf 13 million) to restore five degraded wetlands in the City of Kigali. These include Gikondo, Rwampara, Rugenge-Rwintare, Nyabugogo and Kibumba.
Over 20 per cent of wetlands in Kigali - equivalent to 15.76 square kilometres--should be rehabilitated so as to regain quality and pristine nature.
The implementation of the Kigali City Wetland Master Plan would generate over $155 million (approx. Rwf 160 billion) annually according to the study, dubbed "Economics of Kigali City Wetland Ecosystem Services" that was carried out by environmentalists from Albertine Rift Conservation Society (ARCOS) in partnership with IUCN and REMA.
Nearly 90 per cent of the world's wetlands have been degraded since the 1700s. World Wetlands Day (WWD) is annually celebrated every year.
