{The Ministry of Natural Resources (MINIRENA) says the Rwanda forest cover would be highly eaten into if no conservation efforts are summoned to the fore to check the increasing encroachment for human activities, where 98% of Rwandans use fuel wood and or charcoal for different activities. }
MINIRENA says that some citizens take forests for granted, indiscriminately cut trees and many are passive towards conservation efforts.
Adrie Mukashema, the Deputy Director General in charge of Forestry Department in Rwanda Natural Resources Authority (RNRA) stressed the need to reduce the tonnage of charcoal brought to Kigali as a move to help forests conservation. She revealed this last week during the MINIRENA meet with senate in the assessment of implementation of forests’ maintenance policies.
“Reducing charcoal burning and trade should be encouraged and people, instead, be advised and supported into starting other businesses,” she said.
The Minister of Natural Ressources, Dr. Vincent Biruta said that Rwandans need to adopt the use of gas as a one way of saving forests.
“We also think about how to facilitate people with inadequate capacity to shift from using fire woods and charcoals to use gas. We are partnering with the Ministry of Infrastructure to implement such a polcy,” he said.
Dr. Biruta said that the government has removed taxes on gas facilities to make t easy for all people to access it since it’s less costly to their pockets and the environment. The senatorial committee on economic development said that more sensitization is needed on the use of gas.
MINIRENA announced that in 2014 and 2015 forests earned Rwf 2 billion adding that they have started selling trees used for electricity poles to neighboring countries like Tanzania.
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