Category: Environment

President Paul Kagame on Saturday noted that Community Work (Umuganda) will continue and shall be strengthened.

President Kagame was also participating in the monthly community work with residents of Rebero hill at Kigarama sector in Kicukiro district. Various government officials also accompanied the President.

Kagame said, “Umuganda has gained more strength and is a good culture of uniting efforts. Umuganda is not only a sign of good deeds in Rwanda but also worldwide and this gives more value to Rwandans. this is why we have to continue with Umuganda”.

The president urged Rwandans to be proud and accord themselves value while united to develop the country.

Paul Jules Ndamage the Mayor of Kicukiro also noted that more attention would be given to Rebero Hill to fight against soil erosion.

Rwandans living on steep hillsides will soon be relocated to other safer places in a bid to protect them from falling victim to mudslides and other disasters.

17 people have since died because of the problem of land slippage caused by recent heavy rainfalls.

The Prime Minister Dr. Pierre Damien Habumuremyi has said that in a period not exceeding one year, the census of people living on steep hillsides will be completed and decent places found where they can live.

Dr. Habumuremyi made the statement during a meeting held Monday with members of the Taskforce established by the Government, to prevent the impacts of disasters.

The Government of Rwanda has implemented various programs aimed at adressing extraordinary disasters including those caused by heavy rainfalls.

The meeting involving various authorities sought ways on how to implement the programs in order to limit the damage.

The meeting focused on general measures necessary to put in execution to address the problem of flooding, protect infrastructure and manage land.

Participants at the meeting also revisited the importance of meteorology in time of heavy rainfalls as those that knows the current Rwanda, the protection of the environment and population growth which is causing habitat inappropriate.

The Prime Minister has thus established a special committee to accelerate implementation of the programs.

The committee comprises of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Local Government, the Ministry of Infrastructure, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Department of Defense.

Dr. Habumuremyi said census of all persons residing on the steep hills should be complete in one year for them to find a suitable place where they should live.

Over 169 hectares of food crops have been washed away by the recent constant rains since 11 May in Murundi sector, Kayonza district.

The executive secretary of Murundi sector Murekezi Claude said most crops destroyed include those planted in low laying areas especially mashlands.

“beans,maize,sorhgum and soyabeans crops have been mostly washed away by floods”.

Residents in the area fear that in the nearfuture they will have to endure hunger since this season there is less to harvest from their gardens.

Not only crops, houses were also destroyed especially in Ryamanyoni and Cyamburara villages in Murundi sector.

Murekezi says that the concerned authorities have been notified about the problem and residents are waiting for the responces from above.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, the Prime Minister Dr. Pierre Damien Habumuremyi accompanied by government officials visited flooded areas resulting from busted Nyabugogo, Nyabarongo and Akagera rivers.

The Prime Minister diercted concerned institutions to respond quickly to the affected citizens and finding a long term solution to the flood problem.

Dr. Habumuremyi also said effective this week, a series of community work (Umuganda) should be conducted to cleanup roads and blocked water ways.

The world’s poorest countries have issued a bold plan to make the UN climate change talks more likely to reach their goal of having an effective and legally binding agreement ready for governments to adopt by 2015, the latest press release says.

The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) group’s formal submission to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, under which the talks take place, includes; The new legally binding agreement should take the form of a new protocol under the convention that builds on and enhances the commitments under the Kyoto Protocol.

They further suggest that parties should agree new rules to allow the adoption of the Protocol by a 75% majority, not by consensus as under current rules.

They go on to argue that a final negotiating text should be ready a full year ahead of the 2015 deadline rather than the usual six months deadline that the UNFCCC imposes.

“Raising the ambition of commitments to mitigate climate change before 2020 must be the top priority, ” the press release says. They add that the new Protocol should have as a key objective, the full implementation of mitigation, adaptation and finance and capacity building among others.

Systems for monitoring, reporting and verifying finance and mitigation actions must not be weaker than but should build upon those that already exist in the Kyoto Protocol.

“At last year’s conference of parties to the convention in Durban, parties agreed to complete negotiations by 2015, but such deadlines have been broken before,” says Pa Ousman Jarju, the chair of the LDC group.

“Our countries cannot wait. We are already feeling the effects of climate change, but the time has come for us to be leaders in the international effort to address this global challenge.”

“The creation of a new body to negotiate a second protocol under the Convention represents an overdue acknowledgement by all Parties that the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol alone are insufficient to drive action consistent with the ultimate objective of the Convention,” says Jarju.

“Urgent action is needed by all Parties to prevent dangerous interference with the climate system, and in particular to stay below 2°C and keep open the possibility of limiting warming to 1.5°C above preindustrial in the long-term as called for by the most vulnerable countries.”
As negotiators gather in Bonn for the latest round of talks this week, the LDC group also proposes changes to the way the negotiations work to make them faster and fairer.

To ensure that all issues can be dealt with, the group says the number and duration of future negotiation sessions must be agreed in Bonn, along with a timetable to discuss particular issues.

The group also says parties should consider electing officers to the bureau that will run the talks for more than the usual two year period, to ensure continuity – and that the size of the bureau should perhaps be expanded given the urgency of its task and that wide range of topics it must work on.

“The LDC group comes to the Bonn climate change talks with a strong set of recommendations,” says Pa Ousman Jarju. “In the spirit of international cooperation and with our desire to see the UN climate change convention meet its objective, we urge other parties to join our call for these improvements to the negotiating process and its final goals.”

Flood Victims in Rubavu,Nyabihu and Musanze districts want urgent assistance saying it has been delayed since floods swept away crops and left residents homeless.

However, the ministry of disaster management says that once damage assessment is completed, assistance will be provided soon.

Floods destroyed about 876 hectares of crops including maize, potatoes and beans.

Cabinet ministers visited the affected areas to assess the extent of the problem and identify possible solutions.

The government is also working to ensure that victims receive basic materials. Some of the victims were left homeless, and they are staying at their neighbours.

The floods were caused by heavy down pour that hit parts of the northern and western provinces in the night of 11th to 12th April.

Heavy rains busted the banks of Sebeya River. In some parts of the three districts rain water have formed small lakes while heavy clouds are frequent.

Most of the natural disasters that occur in Rwanda are frequent in the districts including; Rubavu, Musanze and Nyabihu districts register.

More than five years ago, the Government of Rwanda scaled up tree planting programmes in a bid to raise forest cover to about 30%.However, More than 80% of the population derives their livelihoods directly from nature and about 36% from agriculture alone.

This realization has been translated into a resolve of the Government to effectively control pollution, conserve biodiversity, and restore productive ecosystems.

However,the ever growing population exerts more pressure on the limited natural resources especially trees as they are a major source of energy, building materials and other affiliated uses.

The rate of harvest of trees is so high and this poses a bigger risk to the ecosystem. Already the change in pattern of rains and weather is being experienced with especially longer drought and floods and landslides.

A new World Bank study on illegal logging reports that a football field of forest is clear-cut every two seconds around the globe and the problem is now a “global epidemic.”

The report estimates that illegal logging accounts for 90% of all timber felled each year, generating between $10 to $15 billion. The report says the logging is mostly controlled by organised crime, and ill-gotten gains are used to pay corrupt government officials at all levels to turn a blind eye.

“Forestry’s criminal justice system is broken. Despite compelling data and evidence showing that illegal logging is a worldwide epidemic, most forest crimes go undetected, unreported, or are ignored,” says the 56-page report released early this week.

“All too often, investigations—in the rare event that they do take place—are amateurish and inconclusive.”

A four-year study in Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia and the Philippines — four forest-rich countries — found that the probability of illegal loggers being penalized is less than 0.1 per cent

“We need to fight organised crime in illegal logging the way we go after gangsters selling drugs or racketeering,” says Mr Jean Pesme, manager of the World Bank Financial Market Integrity team that helps countries combat illicit financial flows.

Estimates of financial losses from illegal logging don’t consider “the enormous environmental, economic and societal costs— biodiversity threats, increased carbon emissions and undermined livelihoods of rural peoples,” the report says.

“Large-scale illegal operations are carried out by sophisticated criminal networks, and law enforcement actions need to be focused on the ‘masterminds’ behind these networks—and the high-level corrupt officials who enable and protect them,” the report says.

“Pursuing these important targets through the criminal justice system will require creativity and a clear focus on those criminal justice rules and procedures that prove most effective.”

The report, Justice for Forests: Improving Criminal Justice Efforts to Combat Illegal Logging, says that to be effective, law enforcement needs to look past low-level criminals and look at where the profits from illegal logging go.

By following the money trail, and using tools developed in more than 170 countries to go after dirty money, criminal justice can pursue criminal organizations engaged in large-scale illegal logging and confiscate ill-gotten gains.

The World Bank estimates that illegal logging in some countries accounts for as much as 90 per cent of all logging and generates approximately $10–15 billion annually in criminal proceeds. Mostly controlled by organized crime, this money is untaxed and is used to pay corrupt government officials at all levels.

The new report provides policy and operational recommendations for policy makers and forestry and law enforcement actors to integrate illegal logging into criminal justice strategies, foster international and domestic cooperation among policy makers, law enforcement authorities and other key stakeholders, and make better use of financial intelligence.

Despite compelling evidence showing that illegal logging is a global epidemic, most forest crimes go undetected, unreported, or are ignored. In addition, estimates of criminal proceeds generated by forest crimes do not capture their enormous environmental, economic and societal costs— biodiversity threats, increased carbon emissions and undermined livelihoods of rural peoples, with organized crime profiting at the expense of the poor.

“Preventive actions against illegal logging are critical. We also know that they are insufficient,” said Magda Lovei, sector manager at the World Bank. “When implemented, the recommendations of this publication can have a strong deterrent effect that has been missing in many actions taken against illegal loggers.

“Organized crime networks behind large scale illegal logging have links to corruption at the highest levels of government. The investigation of forest crimes is made even more complex by the international dimension of these operations. Recognizing these challenges, this study calls for law enforcement actions that are focused on the ‘masterminds’ behind these networks—and the corrupt officials who enable and protect them.”

Meanwhile, Brazil stands at a crossroads in its efforts to preserve the Amazon rainforest as the government considers controversial legislation governing land use. For most of the past decade, it has made a dramatic reduction in the rate of deforestation, providing a model of how it could be tackled in other rainforest areas such as Indonesia and Congo.

The Amazon rainforest covers a huge area, roughly half as large as the United States, with about 60 per cent of it in Brazil.

It is estimated that nearly a fifth of the Brazilian forest has been lost since 1970; figures from Brazil’s space research institute, INPE, show that 4.1 million square kilometres (1.58 million square miles) of Brazilian forest were still standing in 1970, compared with 3.35 million square kilometres (1.29 million square miles) today.

Like in many developing nations, there is pressure on the natural environment from commercial and agriculture interests.

According to INPE, in 1995, nearly 30,000 square kilometres (about 11,550 square miles) were cleared — that is an area about the size of Belgium or the US state of Maryland — but in 2011, the rate of loss had been reduced to just over 6,000 square kilometres (about 2,400 square miles).

Last year saw the lowest annual clearance since yearly INPE surveys began in 1988, and Brazil is aiming to reduce deforestation even further to 3,500 square kilometres annually by 2020.

Brazil’s environment ministry credits its success to a combination of support for sustainable activities and near-real-time satellite monitoring of forest regions that allows it to target illegal operations with extra agents.

Additional information (World Bank & Agencies)

A body of a dead mountain gorilla was discovered yesterday in a poachers snare at Virunga Massif . The park rangers found the lifeless primate while conducting an anti-poaching patrol.

Veterinarians from the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP) performed a post mortem exam on the infant gorilla’s body and found it had an empty stomach and was severely dehydrated, signs suggesting the gorilla may have suffered in the snare for days before dying.

Dr. Mike Cranfield the executive director of MGVP said, “The tragic death of this mountain gorilla at the hands of humans is a blow to all of us who work to protect this critically endangered species.”

Local poachers set snares illegally in the national parks to catch antelope and other forest wildlife for food, but unsuspecting gorillas, especially infants and juveniles, are sometimes fall in the traps.

Antoine Ruvebana the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (MIDIMAR) has noted that residents in Musanze district have been secured from being affected by a mountain prone to landslides.

Ruvebana says this has been made possible with the collaboration of MIDIMAR and the National Police.

The musanze mountain has reportedly sunk 2meters below its original height.However, Ruvebana notes that his ministry and Police are on high alert ensuring that no citizen in the area is affected by the sinking mountain.

MIDIMAR has also conducted a training workshop involving its stakeholders aimed at increasing awareness about the role of disaster management in national development.

Rwanda’s Hon. Patricia Hajabakiga a law maker at the East African Community Legistilative assembly deserves a pat of her back for moving a Bill on polythene materials control for adoption in all five member states of the regional grouping.

The EAC Polythene Materials Control Bill, 2011 passed in the House late yesterday evening. The Bill pushes closer to an Act of the Community should the EAC Heads of State assent to the same.

The Bill aims at providing a legal framework for the preservation of a clean and healthy environment through the prohibition of manufacturing, sale, importation and use of polythene materials.

Justifying the move to have the regional law in place, Hon Hajabakiga stated that the Bill is intended to control the use of polythenes while advocating the total ban of plastics.

Hajabakiga also notes several dangers of plastics and polythene materials notably soil degradation through burning of wastes, harmful emissions of toxics and the endangering of human and animal lives.

She further indicates that while plastics can be burned, they emit chemicals and the corresponding photo-degradation has consequential impact on human and infrastructure.

Countries such as Bangladesh, Botswana, Israel, Rwanda and France among others have since enacted a similar law, Hon Hajabakiga said.

The Chairperson of the Agriculture, Tourism and Natural Resources Committee, Hon Safina Kwekwe whose Committee the Assembly mandated to look through the Bill, remarked that the Committee had met various stakeholders in the Partner States during the public hearings.

The meetings were called to create awareness of plastics and visit plastic manufacturers with a view to interfacing with them and suggesting for improvements on the Bill.

In its report, the Committee states that Rwanda which has an existing law in place supported the Bill while requesting for inclusion of a clause on alternatives to polythene materials as well as an incentive programme.

Meanwhile, the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) meeting in Kampala also passed key amendments to the Inter-University Council for East Africa Act, giving the body powers to oversee accreditation of tertiary institutions in the region.

Assembly members overruled objections from the council of ministers that had expressed reservations about the amendments which among others, will grant institutions better regional mobility, only to get accreditation from the council to operate regionally instead of multiple applications to individual countries.

Generally, The law will promote, modernise and harmonise EAC university curricula.

Recently a Video clip on Youtube (www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg2hCuDy2wg) showing a tourist being touched by wild mountain gorillas has captivated more than a million viewers and will likely inspire many travelers to book a trip to visit mountain gorillas themselves.

However, a communiqué from the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP) “While the desire to connect intimately with one of our closest relatives is an innate reaction, such close contact with this endangered species is not in the best interest of their conservation.

Disease transmission due to contact with humans is a very real problem for mountain gorillas, some of whom have become ill as a result of their proximity to humans. Tourism and the work of scientists, researchers, and other experts with gorillas are absolutely vital to the species’ survival,” the statement read.

For those looking to make a positive impact on mountain gorilla conservation, the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project would like to suggest 10 ways in which you can help:

Trek to see the mountain gorillas in Rwanda, DR Congo, or Uganda

Without gorilla tourism, mountain gorillas might have gone extinct. The regions where mountain gorillas live are home to the densest human populations in Africa. Most of the people living in these areas are farmers, so land is critical to their livelihoods.

However, the governments of Rwanda, Uganda, and DR Congo have kept the gorilla’s volcano habitat off-limits to agriculture in order to protect the gorillas, largely because the revenue gained through tourism outweighs the value of forested slopes for other purposes.

Gorilla trekking permits are pricey ($400 in DR Congo and $500 in Rwanda and Uganda), but by purchasing permits, you’re not only buying a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with this charismatic species, you’re providing the economic incentive for the gorillas’ protection. Visit the tourism websites for gorilla trekking Rwanda and Uganda.

Do not trek to see gorillas if you are sick

Due to the genetic similarity between humans and mountain gorillas, gorillas are susceptible to many of the same infectious diseases that affect people. Mountain gorillas are also immunologically naïve, meaning they are particularly susceptible to human diseases because of their historic isolation from people.

Research conducted by the Gorilla Doctors and other scientists has proven that mountain gorillas have died as a result of infections that originated in people. Infectious disease, after trauma, is the leading cause of death in mountain gorillas, accounting for 20% of acute mortality. The most common infection is respiratory disease, which can range from mild colds to severe pneumonia.

Stay at least 7 meters away from the gorillas

In order to reduce the risk of disease transmission and to avoid changing or disturbing the gorillas’ natural behavior, the Gorilla Doctors have worked national park authorities to establish the rule of staying 7 meters (21 feet) or more from the gorillas at all times.

The gorillas themselves, especially youngsters, don’t know the rules and may approach humans, but tourists should make the effort to back away and avoid touching the animal if possible. The 7-meter rule should be observed at all times, even when gorillas leave the national park and venture on to property owned by tourist lodges and camps.

Donate to conservation organizations working to protect mountain gorillas

One of the most effective ways to help mountain gorillas is to donate money to organizations working on the ground to conserve the species. Numerous organizations including MGVP have spent decades finding effective methods for protecting mountain gorillas, and most rely on grants and donations to fund their work.

When donating your money to support any cause, it’s important to evaluate the organization you’re considering supporting to determine how successful the group is in carrying out its mission.

You should find the answers to questions like,“What methods does the organization use to accomplish its stated goals?” and “Does the organization have any data or statistics to show that its methods are having an impact?” An organization’s website and annual reports should provide this information, or you can always send an inquiry to their public information or development officer.

MGVP is proud to be the only organization providing direct life-saving medical care to mountain gorillas in the wild. Research has shown that the work of the Gorilla Doctors and the anti-poaching efforts of the park rangers and trackers we work with is responsible for up to 40% of the growth of the human-habituated mountain gorilla population in the Virunga Massif over the last 10 years.

When visiting the region, do other activities in the parks in addition to gorilla trekking

The vast majority of tourists who visit the national parks where gorillas live spend a day or two trekking gorillas and then leave. However, all of the gorilla parks offer other amazing wilderness experiences. As with gorilla trekking, the revenue earned through these activities further incentivizes the governments and local people to protect mountain gorilla habitat.

You can climb the active Nyiragongo volcano in DR Congo, home to the world’s largest lava lake, or can climb extinct volcanoes in Rwanda and Uganda, such as the snow-covered Mt. Karismibi or the fluted peaks of Mt. Sabyinyo.

Both Rwanda and Uganda offer treks to see golden monkeys (another highly endangered primate), and in Rwanda you may also visit the gravesite and former research station of Dian Fossey. Ask your tour provider about the options available.

Support local businesses and community projects around the national parks

As much effort as the governments and conservation organizations put into protecting the gorillas, the support of the local people surrounding the parks is vital to ensure the preservation of gorilla habitat and the conservation of mountain gorillas. The more that local people share in tourism revenue and benefit from non-profit and community efforts in the area, the more likely they are to want to protect the mountain gorillas.

Tourists can help by frequenting local restaurants, shops, and other businesses, or by making contributions to community projects around the park. For instance, tourists can pay to visit the Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village near Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda, which employs former poachers as cultural interpreters and performers.

Don’t buy products made with wild animal parts

While mountain gorillas are very rarely targeted by poachers, other animals living in the national parks where gorillas live are actively hunted. Poachers mostly set snares to catch small antelopes to bring home to their families for food but occasionally larger animals such as buffalo or elephants may be targeted. Gorillas often get caught in poachers’ snares set for other animals.

Poachers presence in the forest disturbs the environment and increases the risk of zoonotic disease transmission. While the main purpose of poaching is to obtain bush meat, wild animal skins, bones, and ivory may be used in crafts and other items sold to tourists. If you have any doubt about a product’s origins, don’t buy it. And certainly, in the rare instance you may see or hear of someone selling a live wild animal, report it to the national park authorities.

Trek with a tour provider that donates a portion of the trip cost towards conservation efforts

When researching tour packages to see gorillas, consider booking with a provider that directs a portion of their profits to support conservation projects. For example, Terra Incognita Ecotours, which offers 8-day Rwanda tours including a visit with the Gorilla Doctors, donates a portion of the trip cost to MGVP. In DR Congo, you can book packages including permits, transport, and accommodations directly through Virunga National Park, which puts profits right back into the park itself.

Organize a fundraiser

Can’t afford to make significant personal donation or travel to Africa? Organize or participate in a fundraiser to help raise money for mountain gorilla conservation. In the past, schools have raised money for MGVP through bake sales and fun runs.

Travelers and volunteers visiting gorillas in Rwanda have sold gorilla t-shirts to raise money to pay for their trips and make a donation to MGVP. One of biggest our fans even raised $30,000 in donations and pledges by walking 228 miles from Seattle to Portland, Oregon!

Spread the word about mountain gorilla conservation

Anyone can make a difference for the gorillas by telling their friends, family, and colleagues about the mountain gorillas and the efforts being made to save them. Remember that even though mountain gorillas are critically endangered, their story is a positive one! Mountain gorillas are the only subspecies of non-human great ape growing in number.

Fewer than 250 animals were counted in the mid-80s when Dian Fossey was researching the gorillas but today the population numbers nearly 800 animals. This species has a fighting chance for survival if we continue to work to address conservation challenges.