Category: Environment

{The Albertine Rift Conservation Society (ARCOS) and the East African Community (EAC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to join their efforts in enhancing environment and sustainable natural resource management in the Albertine Rift region and other transboundary ecosystems of East Africa. }

The natural resources play a vital role in the wellbeing of the communities and the economies of countries in the region through the ecosystem services they provide. The healthy environment is very essential for sustainability and the equitable access for the present and future generations.

Looking at the overlap interests and goals, ARCOS and EAC have joined efforts for collaboration in the areas of common interest especially in promoting sustainable mountain development, information sharing, civil society engagement and supporting sustainable community livelihoods in the region. This agreement builds on good existing relationship between EAC and ARCOS, including the joint organisation of the Africa Regional Mountain Forum, held in Arusha, October 2014.

In his remarks, Ambassador Dr. Richard Sezibera, Secretary General of EAC emphasized on the need for sustainable management of natural resources for the wellbeing of present and future generations.“ We really recognize what ARCOS has been doing and we have common interests especially in natural resources management and our collaboration is a landmark to ensure the healthy environment and the wellbeing of the present and future generations of the communities in the region; I am sure this will result in outstanding outcomes”.

Dr Sam Kanyamibwa, the Executive Director who signed the MoU on behalf of ARCOS said, “The collaboration with EAC will certainly result in fruitful results especially in preservation of the transboundary ecosystems in the region. The signing of this agreement constitutes also an indicative example of needed partnership between government institutions and civil society organisations in the management of our natural ecosystems”

Given the importance of natural ecosystems to the sustainability, the wellbeing and economic growth, and the transboundary aspects of these entities, collaboration is a key to their health and continuous supply of their services to ensure the well-being of communities and sustainable development. The parties agreed on the collaboration in the activities pertaining to wise management of transboundary ecosystems and particularly sustainable mountain development as the mountains are the main source of freshwater and host rich and diverse biodiversity in the region.

{International experts from across Asia (Bangladesh & Indonesia), Africa (Kenya, Rwanda, Mozambique & Ethiopia), Latin America (Peru & Colombia) and the Caribbean convene in Kigali from 22–24 July 2015 for a South-South learning exchange on financing climate compatible development. More than 50 countries are establishing national funds dedicated to coordinating and mobilising climate finance.}

The three day meeting will provide Rwanda with the chance to share its success in establishing the National Fund for the Environment and Climate Change (FONERWA), which is the largest in Africa.

Organised by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) in collaboration with Rwanda’s Environment Management Authority (REMA), the workshop will discuss challenges and opportunities related to long-term finance for low emission and climate resilient development. Participants at the meeting will also share experiences of how national governments mobilise, manage and use resources including climate finance to implement climate change plans and policies.

Speaking at the opening of the workshop, the Minister of Natural Resources, Dr Vincent Biruta said that Rwanda is endeavouring to walk towards a climate resilient future by means of its vision 2020 and the Economic Development Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRII) which embrace climate change as a key component.

“Though Rwanda is reported as well advanced in the area of environment and climate change resilience, we believe there is still room for improvement and we are eager to learn from others’ experience.”

Dr. Rose Mukankomeje, Director General of REMA, acknowledged that it is a great pleasure for Rwanda to welcome climate change experts from around the world to discuss financing the transition to low emission and climate resilient development at national, sub-regional and regional levels in developing countries.

“This workshop is very important for developing countries and their climate resilient development. It will help them identify channels and leverage points for financing climate resilient development interventions,” Dr. Mukankomeje said. “It will also help participants share different approaches for structuring and operating national climate finance mechanisms.”

Climate change related financing is critical for all developing countries and adequate finance is considered the main element required to respond to climate change. Levels of finance are directly linked to the action developing countries can undertake as part of the global effort to deal with climate change through adaptation and mitigation.

{Ghana’s President is proposing to go Rwanda way by banning use of plastic bags if producers fail to properly manage plastic waste.}

Mr John Dramani Mahama warned this while addressing members of the El-Wak Keep Fit Club in Accra last Saturday after a health walk to mark Republic Day.

“It has become such a pernicious pollutant. If producers of plastics don’t do something about it, then we may have to go the Rwanda way. In Rwanda, plastics are banned; nobody uses plastics and yet they are surviving,” he said.

In 2008, Rwanda outlawed the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags.

While the law prohibited the manufacture, use, importation and sale of plastic bags, it also carried a one-year sentence and huge fines for offenders.

Rwanda will today 5th June, 2015 join the World to celebrate World Environment Day (WED).This year’s WED theme is “Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care “and is in line with Rwanda’s commitment to harmonize economic growth with environmental sustainability and sustainable management of natural resources.

“As we celebrate World Environment Day, let’s promote resource efficiency and sustainable production and consumption by doing more and better with less resources, reduce our footprint and adopt a more sustainable lifestyle,” observed Dr. Rose Mukankomeje, Director General of Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA).

WED celebration 2015 will take place in all Districts.., However, at national level, the celebration will take place in Rutsiro District, Mukura Sector and it is an opportunity to launch the Landscape Approach to Forest Restoration and Conservation (LAFREC); a project aiming the rehabilitation of Gishwati and Mukura Forest Reserves.

Participants to the WED celebration in Mukura Sector will join local residents in a Community Work “Umuganda” to rehabilitate degraded mining sites in Mukura Forest. After the community work, officials will hold discussions with the local community on efficient use of natural resources in line with this year’s WED theme as well as on LAFREC interventions.

Landscape Approach to Forest Restoration and Conservation (LAFREC), a Global Environment Facility (GEF)-funded project, aims at restoring the highly degraded Gishwati-Mukura landscape, boosting land management of the Gishwati and Mukura forests and improving local livelihoods, environment, and climate resilience within the area.

The objective of LAFREC Project is to restore the degraded Gishwati-Mukura landscape by increasing tree cover, restoring indigenous woodland in deforested areas and enhancing the biodiversity of the remaining degraded forest reserves so as to provide national and global environmental benefits.

Two main components of the 9.53 million US Dollars project are; forestry-friendly rehabilitation of Mukura landscape and upgrading Gishwati-Mukura forest reserves to a national park; and improvement of livelihoods for surrounding communities to be climate resilient.

“We call up on everyone to fully support the implementation of this project as its success will benefit the local communities, country and the world as a whole,” said Dr. Rose Mukankomeje, the Director General of REMA.

Initially, Gishwati-Mukura reserve was estimated to cover 250,000ha before it reduced to 28,000ha in 1980s due mainly to human activities. Over the past decades, the Gishwati-Mukura area was nearly depleted largely due to resettlement, livestock farming and small farming in the aftermath of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. This led to devastating erosion within the forests, resulting in severe landslides and floods. However some patches of native forest remain, alongside important biodiversity, including a small population of chimpanzees.

Presently, Gishwati-Mukura Forest Reserve is known for a wide range of flora and fauna, including four species of primates: the eastern chimpanzee, the golden monkey, the blue monkey, and the mountain monkey; more than a dozen species of East African chimpanzees; mammals such as red river hog, the black-fronted duiker, the southern tree hyrax, among others. The forest reserve also boasts about 60 species of trees, including indigenous hardwoods and bamboo.

Currently, a bill that will transform the Gishwati-Mukura Reserve into a National Park is being discussed in the Parliament. The draft law is expected to be signed into a law expected to be passed in the few coming months.

Upgrading the forest to the status of a National Park will ensure that the remaining part of the natural forest is fully protected. The plan is part of the country’s broader efforts to expand the total forest cover to 30 per cent of the country’s total surface area by 2020 and promote the tourism sector.

{Global warming will increase sales of air conditioners, which in turn will increase climate change, according to a forthcoming study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.}

The growth of global economies will allow more consumers around the world to buy more comforts, including air conditioners, according to the researchers from the University of California Berkeley. The increased use of air conditioners, however, will require significantly more electricity.

Air conditioning and global warming, the study’s authors contend, become a spiral that can cycle toward environmental disaster. As global temperatures rise, more consumers will buy air conditioners, which then add to more global warming.

The authors claim that action should be taken now, before a large mass of people around the world have the means to afford air conditioners.

“In the near future, over a billion people in Africa, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico and other low and middle income countries will be able to purchase their first air conditioner resulting in a massive increase in energy demand,” Paul Gertler, a professor at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and co-author of the study, said in a statement. “Now is the time for the public and private sectors to collaborate and develop infrastructures capable of accommodating rising demand, as well build air conditioners that are more energy efficient and more affordable for poorer populations.”

Gertler and lead study author Lucas Davis, also of the Haas School of Business, studied data from 27,000 households in Mexico. The team found that as income increased in warm areas, people were far more likely to buy an air conditioner.

The researchers also looked at countries like India, that has a larger population and warmer temperatures are more common than in the United States.

As the economy grows, according to the study, the increased use of air conditioning will cause noticeable stress for India’s already overwhelmed energy infrastructure.

{{WB}}

{The 5th Golden Climate Olympiad was held in Mombasa, Kenya, last week and it is with great pleasure that the projects from Hope Academy Rwanda were placed first and third overall.}

A total of 160 projects from around 25 countries all over the world entered the Olympiad but were unable to beat the projects from Hope Academy Rwanda students.

The gold medal and first place went to Ishimwe Karimba (Grade 6) and his organic, homemade insecticide derived from pyrethrum, a local flower. Brothers Peter and Patrick Ejiofor (Grades 8 and 6, respectively) were placed in the bronze position with a project on gorilla conservation. Many congratulations to all three students, and all who helped them on the path to success, including their supervisor Mr. Serkan Isik, olympiad coordinator Mr. Royal Qasimov and their parents.

Last year, Hope Kids won a bronze medal in Golden Climate Kenya and a silver in Infomatrix Romania. This year, our students are additionally listed amongst the finalists for GENIUS USA.

Hope Academy Rwanda is now looking forward to Infomatrix in Romania later this month, and GENIUS in the USA in June. We hope to be able to add more medals to our collection and celebrate more students achieving their potential.

Rwanda has been ranked among top 20 world greenest places for 2015, according to World Travel Guide, an international travel guide for adventurous travellers.

The global tourist guide on Tuesday released a list of 20 destinations in the world that are on the path to environmental enlightenment from self-sufficient villages to pioneering national parks.

According to the web portal, Rwanda has been ranked 3rd globally. Costa Rica scooped top position on the list, followed by Ecuador, Rwanda, Uruguay, Brazil, Italy, Switzerland, Finland, Pitcairn Islands, the Isle of Eigg of Scotland, Bhutan, Sweden, Australia, Copenhagen, Chumbe Island in Tanzania, Britain, Iceland, Canada Azores Islands in Portugal and Portland, Oregon in that order.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Yamina Karitanyi, head of Tourism and Conservation at Rwanda Development Board, said that the ranking provides confidence to travellers coming to Rwanda especially tourists.

“In Rwanda we have much more to offer to tourists beyond the national parks, we have beautiful green scenery and we are proud of that. We are committed to showcase Rwanda’s beauty to the world, ” she said.

According to the Travel Guide, Rwanda has excellent eco- credentials and the country has banned plastic bags – which makes it one of the cleanest nations on the planet.

“But that’s just the tip of the eco iceberg. Thanks to its conservation efforts, Rwanda’s endangered mountain gorillas are thriving, and there are also plans to reintroduce lions and rhinos to Akagera National Park later this year,” says the continental guide.

“If you’re visiting Rwanda on the last Saturday of the month, then you better pack a litter picker. Why? Because your trip will coincide with Umuganda (Community work), a day of national housekeeping when every citizen (including the President) goes out to clean the country”.

Last year, the small Central African nation hosted a total number of about 1.22 million visitors, compared to around 1.122 million in the previous year, an annual increase of 97,000 visitors.

Visitors from the US were the most at 24,488, followed by India with 13,008 visitors, then the United Kingdom with 12,320, Belgium with 8,733 and Germany with 8,228 visitors.

RDB has been trying to diversify its tourism sector by promoting Rwanda as a destination for business travellers, through its Meetings, Incentives Conferences and Events (MICE) initiative. In 2014, the tourism industry generated revenue receipts worth 304. 9 million U.S. dollars.

Tourist sites in Rwanda include mountain gorillas, canopy walk, national museums, Lake Kivu, bird watching, Congo Nile trail, Akagera and Nyungwe National parks, culture, among others. Enditem

{{Source: Xinhua}}

{The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) has agreed to form a regional Parliamentary Forum on Climate Change.}

The proposal was made during a policy dialogue on Climate Change and Gender for members of EALA to identify the role of parliamentarians in implementation of gender sensitive climate change policies.

The dialogue held on 27th and 28th March, 2015 in Bujumbura, Burundi, was organized by the EAC Secretariat in partnership with the EALA Women Forum. It was also attended by the EALA Committee on Agriculture, Tourism and Natural Resources and the General Purpose Committee.

“We need to establish a parliamentary forum on Climate Change for EALA so that it can feed into the global parliamentary forum and also provide leadership in the regional framework on climate change,” said Hon. Abubakar Zein. The resolution on this proposal will be passed during the next EALA sitting in May.

The impact of Climate Change is most severe for the world’s poor and marginalized communities who often live in stressed environments and have fewer means for coping. Women are especially vulnerable because of their limited access, control and ownership over resources, unequal participation in decision and policy-making, lower incomes and levels of formal education and high workloads.

As such climate change impacts men and women in different ways and interventions aimed at addressing climate change impacts must include a gender perspective.

Hon. Valerie Nyirahabineza, the leader, EALA Women Forum, stressed that Africa is most vulnerable to climate change and noted that the region’s communities and governments are sometimes constrained to handle challenges of climate change. “Women play a critical role in food and nutrition security and are also responsible for growing, buying, selling, and cooking the food.

Majority of food produced in developing countries is by women, yet only 2% of land is owned by women,” she said. She added that there was need for the legislators to address the underlying causes of gender inequality such as unequal land rights and land tenure through legislative reforms.

Hon. Dora Byamukama noted, “Unless women feel secure as users and owners of land, there will always be a problem of climate change.”

Hon. Kessy Nderakindo said that many people are acquiring things that they don’t need. “Human beings are not respecting the earth and we need to ask, what are the little things we can do to stop climate change?”Hon. Zein also said that the EAC Climate Change Fund be capitalized

“It is not acceptable to have an EAC Climate Change Fund that we have not put money into, we are only depending on development partners to do something.” He added that it is critical to have seed money from Partner States to support climate change related concerns.

The parliamentarians agreed that climate change be considered in the EAC Partner States budgeting process, and pledged to make individual contributions to the Fund. The Climate Change Fund was established in 2011.

Hon. Leonce Ndarubagiye decried the overdependence on Development Partners and called for home grown solutions to climate change.The EAC Secretariat, in partnership with the East African Development Bank, is in the process of applying to be a Regional Implementing Entity to the Climate Change Adaptation Fund and Green Climate Fund.

The Members agreed to revive their pledge where each EALA Chapter is to plant 50,000 trees in their Partner States by 2017. The MPs also observed that East Africans need to revive their traditional knowledge that was sensitive to nature. “We need to look into traditional knowledge and revive what worked before that has been abandoned,” said Hon. Mike Sebalu.

They called on Partner States to promote environmental friendly practices such as the use of renewable energy like biogas and solar power, water harvesting, and irrigation. Hon. Mumbi Ng’aru urged national governments to reduce the cost of materials used in the construction of biogas units.

The Members urged for the finalization of the draft EAC Disaster Risk Reduction Bill noting its urgency and the need for administrative and coordination structures for timely response to climate change induced disasters in the region that are increasing in intensity and frequency.

The EALA members conveyed their sympathies to the government and the people of the United Republic of Tanzania for the climate related hailstorm in Kahama and flooding in Dar es Salaam in March which claimed lives and left many people displaced.

{Representatives from 10 countries under the Central African Forest Commission (COMIFAC) will convene in Kigali on 16-17th March 2015, for a two-day workshop aimed at building their capacity on the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization; in order to speed up its implementation in the COMIFAC Countries.}

In this workshop, participants will discuss opportunities offered by the Nagoya Protocol and the project to support the ratification and implementation of this protocol in COMIFAC countries. They will also develop the annual and bi-annual work plan for the above-mentioned project, establish a monitoring system and tools to use in raising public awareness on the Nagoya Protocol.

Organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in partnership with COMIFAC and Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA), this workshop will bring together over 35 representatives (mainly made of Focal Points of the Nagoya Protocol and the Convention on Biodiversity) from Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, DR. Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of Congo, Sao Tome & Principle and Rwanda.

The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization is an international agreement which aims at sharing the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way; including by appropriate access to genetic resources and by appropriate transfer of relevant technologies, taking into account all rights over those resources and technologies, and by appropriate funding, contributing to the conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable use of its components.

Speaking on the significance of this protocol, Dr. Rose Mukankomeje, Director General of REMA noted that Nagoya Protocol is of paramount importance especially to developing countries including Rwanda, as they are in position to benefit meaningfully from their biological resources and associated traditional knowledge, which have been exploited over the years without real benefit.

Nagoya Protocol was adopted on 29 October 2010 in Nagoya, Japan and was ratified by Rwanda in March 2012. Its entry into force took place in October 2014.

In order to facilitate the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol in Rwanda, a Ministerial Order meant to domesticate the Protocol has been drafted by REMA along with other key stakeholders; and is now in the consultation phase.