Improvement of livelihoods, knowledge and sustainable management of Nyabarongo wetlands

The project aims to protect the Nyabarongo wetland in Rwanda. Although the area is an Important Bird Area, indicating its importance to global biodiversity, it has no conservation status. The local population is among the poorest in Rwanda and agriculture is the main economic activity. The local population use the wetland as a source of water, pasture land, (bush) meat, fish, medicinal plants and raw materials for handcraft (papyrus). Along with this, wetland areas are being drained to make place for agriculture. Once dry, the productivity of these lands quickly drop, forcing farmers to dry new wetland areas. Besides loss of wetland habitat, clearing of land for agriculture also results in increased erosion. The project aims to restore the wetland and promote sustainable use of its resources. The activities include a combination of environmental awareness raising, development of more sustainable economic activities and restoration of degraded riversides. The awareness raising activities aim to increase the valorisation of the wetland and its resources by the local communities. To improve livelihoods in a sustainable way, the NGO proposes to stimulate handcraft production, using wetland plants (papyrus) as raw materials.