RWANDA’S RE-FORESTATION GATHERS MOMENTUM
Efforts to increase forest cover to 30 percent of Rwanda by 2020 have gathered momentum with a broad based forestry workshop taking place in Kigali from today. 2011 is the United Nation’s ‘Year of the Forests’ and Rwanda has taken the lead in the region to commit to major forest restoration where necessary and forest protection of existing forests. The Global Environment Facility has added a further 6 million US Dollars to the various Rwandan programmes already underway or about to start, creating community awareness and participation in the setting up of tree nurseries and planting of indigenous species. As many as six areas across Rwanda have been designated for re-forestation over the next several years according to a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Rwanda government, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, in short IUCN, and the UN’s Forum on Forests.
Rwanda, again leading in conservation where others ponder and fail.
