NATURAL RESOURCES DEGRADATION IN THE RWANDA KAGERA WATERSHED: STATUS AND TRENDS, ROOT CAUSES AND POTENTIAL RESPONSES

Size: px
Start display at page:

Download "NATURAL RESOURCES DEGRADATION IN THE RWANDA KAGERA WATERSHED: STATUS AND TRENDS, ROOT CAUSES AND POTENTIAL RESPONSES"

Transcription

1 NATURAL RESOURCES DEGRADATION IN THE RWANDA KAGERA WATERSHED: STATUS AND TRENDS, ROOT CAUSES AND POTENTIAL RESPONSES

2 LAND, SOILS AND CROPS Small farms (0,60 ha) in a continuous fragmentation pattern. Root causes:. High population pressure. Traditional subdivision of family land among children and grand children in a continuous pattern.

3 Proposed solutions:. Enhancement of the pop growth reduction strategy.. Enforcement of the new Land Act (July 2005) that recommends consolidation of small plots to make them more economically viable and prohibits further fragmentation.

4 Insecure land tenure Cause:. Until recently, the land was exclusive property of the State. Recommendation:. Speed up the implementation of the new land law that confers full rights to the occupants.

5 LOSS OF ARABLE LAND TO COURTYARDS AND PATHS Cause: Dispersed settlements within the individual farms Recom: Continue village voluntary grouping into Imidugudu to free farming areas

6 Unsustainable agriculture and environment interventions Cause: Interventions are too sectoral, no much coordination nor complemetarity. Rec: Promote integrated and participatory natural resources use and management planning approach at the community level.

7 Cultivations on steepy slopes Causes:. Shortage of land. Lack of awareness about the negative consequences Rec:. Community education on the consequences. Demarcation and mise en defens of such sites.

8 Poor soil and water conservation practices Causes: Lack of proper awareness Recommendation: Increased sensitization on better practices

9 Declining soils fertility and productivity. Causes:. High soil erosion.. Declining use of farm manure Recom:. More sustainable agriculture practices (no or shallow tillage, vegetation cover, wider trenches, terraces, multching etc).. Promote zero-grazing and maximum use of manure and other organic composts

10 Poor crops health and related declining productions. Causes:. Insufficient rainfalls.. Poor crop management practices.. Introduction of improved but more vulnerable varieties of crops.. Crop diseases. Recom:. On farm trials of the best practices, and of the more yielding and resistant varieties of the crops.. Agro-business and market chains promotion.

11 Livestock and ranges and pastures Severely degraded ranges in the Eastern Province. Causes:. High animal rate on the ranges... Overgrazing, and seasonal bush burning.

12 Recom:. Help pastoralists accessing more productive animal breeds. Education on the most cost-effective practices in the management of ranges and pastures.

13 Shortage of water for animals. Causes: Low rivers network. Low rainfall. Quick silting of the dams.

14 Recom:. Increased collection of rain water through water tanks and dams.. Exploitation of the underground water.. Protection of the dams against siltation

15 Low livestock productions (milk and meat) Causes: Poor nutritional value of the ranges Poor breeds. Pests and Diseases.

16 Recom: Help improving the quality of the ranges. Improve breeds through crossbreeding. Control the tse-tse fly. Training in vet treatment practices.

17 LACK OF MARKET FOR LIVESTOCK PRODUCTS Causes:. Poor roads network. Poor organizational and marketing skills of the pastoralists. Recom:. Roads up to the farms. Capacity building of the cooperatives.

18 Forests and Agro-forestry status and trends Many destroyed forests ( ). Nyungwe: from 114,000 ha to 92,400. Gishwati: 28,000 to 600. Mukura: 3,000 to 1,200. Kagera National Park: 305,000 to 108,500. Other small forests: 150,000 t0 25,000

19 Causes:. Population pressure. Displaced people during war and genocide. Massive return of refugees Diverging interests between neighboring populations and parks authorities.

20 Recom: Increase community tree planting campaigns Enforcement of the laws protecting trees, forests and national parks. Improved environmental education and friendly community tourism.

21 Too much (dangerous) eucalyptus. Causes: Fast growing tree Highly productive, but also Lack of awareness about the dangers of the tree.

22 Recom:. A study on the impact of the many eucalyptus plantations on the Rwandan environment degradation and climate shall be conducted and people advised accordingly.. Stop further planting of the eucalyptus trees.. Replace current old woodlots by more environmental conservation species.

23 Many eroded and degraded forests. Causes:. Poor maintenance and harvesting.. Soil erosion. Recom:. Rehabilitate and protect the eroded sites.. Train the owners in proper forests management practices

24 Agroforestry trees still few in farms Causes:. Shortage of land. Shortage of planting materials. High seedlings mortality rate due to termites and droughts.

25 Recom: Reintroduce traditional species that do not compete with the crops. Select the most economic and yielding species through participatory on-farm trials, and Promotion through FFS for faster adoption.

26 WATER AND WETLANDS Irregular rainfalls and frequent droughts Causes: Global warming Local environment deterioration factors (deforestation, soil erosion, destruction of wetlands etc)

27 Recom: Enforcement of the application of international conventions against global warming Increased protection of national natural resources (forests, water surfaces and wetlands, vegetation covers etc)

28 Wetlands, Lakes, rivers and dams drying up Causes: Low rainfalls Poor marshlands management techniques Encroachments Silting

29 Recom: Stabilize and protect water catchments against soil erosion Enforce laws prohibiting cultivations too close to water surfaces. Sensitization campaigns on functions and collective benefits from these resources.

30 Few rain waters collected and used Causes:. Low awareness of the benefits. Lack of access to appropriate collection containers. Too hard to dig appropriate trenches, bunds and dams.

31 Recom: Promotion of the use of water tanks, valley dams, farm bunds etc. Assist farmers in digging wells, dams

32 FLORA AND FAUNA Disappearing flora and fauna species. Causes:. Low reproduction rate. High vulnerability. Harvested for multiple uses. Bush fires. Poaching etc.

33 Recom: Protection (mise en defens) of the habibitats of the affected species Reintroduction of the disappearing species.

34 Invasive species (water hyacinth, lantana camara.. ) Causes:. Fast multiplication rate. High resistance. Adaptability to various pedo-climatic conditions

35 Recom: Eradicate the water hyacinth starting from its Northest source; i.e from the Mukugwa river in Rwanda. Educate communities on the negative impact of the lantana camara on other natural resources Support its eradication, especially from the Akagera national park.

36 GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS Main sources:. Petrol products. Fire wood and charcoal burning. Bush fires. Burning of the farm residues etc;. Industrial activities (cement, fertilizers productions). Agriculture (composts, rice production, )

37 PRIORITY AREAS a. Continue reforestation campaigns and activities (with more resistant and economic species).

38 b. Improved agriculture productions (more resistant, yielding and income generation crops).

39 c. Continue water and soil conservation campaigns (bigger trenches, valley dams and bunds).

40 d. Improved management of rangelands and animal resources (improved crossbreeds, improved pastures, marketing of animal products).

41 e. Protection of wetlands and water surfaces and ground waters (protection of watershed, fight the water hycinthe ).

42 f. Improvement of grouped settlements (accompanied by long term land use plans)

43 g. Capacity building of local institutions and populations (education in schools, farmers training, support to districts ).

44 h. Community / Village Land use and management planning (village land use planning Tanzania type).

45 End