Rwanda Makes Gains in Balancing Population and Natural Resources, Reports KT Press

    DAVOS, SWITZERLAND, February 18, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Rwanda is battling a decisive war of choosing between its increasing population and draining natural resources.

The country has endured massive deforestation, depletion of bio-diversity, erosion, landslides, pollution of waterways and degradation of fragile ecosystems such as swamps and wetlands.

To tame the situation, the government has put in place policies for environmental conservation aimed at propelling the country's green growth for the next five years.

While speaking at the Climate Change panel at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, President Paul Kagame said, "As we look forward to development, we are not making a choice between environment and prosperity, but rather how do we combine both because one supports the other."

For example, 30,739,957 trees were planted in 2014 as part of agro-forestry and restoring ecosystems.

Rwanda, by 2018, aims to have 30% of its surface area covered by forests, up from 28.8% in 2014.

Every year, Rwanda will plant trees on 8,150 hectares to achieve that target. This year the country launched the Fund for the Environment and Climate Change, a groundbreaking, biggest of its kind initiative in Africa.

Kagame says, "We have setup a climate change fund and mobilised $75Million partly funded by government and through partners."

This shows there is urgency, he added. "If it can work at national level in Rwanda, then it can work elsewhere and globally."

The fund will be the engine of green growth in Rwanda, mobilizing and channeling domestic and international financing to public and private environment and climate change projects.

According to government, the fund has areceived over 1,000 funding submissions, approved 18 projects and trained over 750 stakeholders in proposal development.

By 2020, it aims at raising $100mil annually, creating 5,000 green jobs in Rwanda and preventing the emission of thousands of tons of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere.

The green fund will support projects that align with the country's commitment to a strong and prosperous green economy.

Meanwhile, mountain gorilla conservation has also gained more attention in the past ten years and contributed enormously to the country's tourism revenues.

Rwanda's protected savannah region in the east of the country hosts 1,122km2-wide Akagera National Park with varieties of species.

Last year Rwanda attracted 1.17 million visitors and earned $303 million from tourism.

For Media Enquiries:
Patrick Bigabo
KT Press
[email protected]

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