Rwanda is undergoing a significant transformation, leading to increasing threats to its natural resources and especially to the wetlands affected by the intensification of agriculture, growing urbanization and industrial development. Wetlands in Rwanda cover 10.6% of national territory of which 53 per cent has been converted to agriculture (REMA, 2011a; Kabalisa, 2012). Wetlands importance in Rwanda is still looked at through the angle of their economic value for agriculture. However, this value of wetlands is dwarfed by what these ecosystems are worth in supporting biodiversity and various ecosystem services. This prevalent narrow view of wetlands’ importance is perpetuated by the lack of information on wetlands’ ecosystem services.

This project will develop and apply an integrated approach to assess the ecological integrity of Rwanda’s wetlands and use the results to inform planning and decision-making. With a diverse team of stakeholders, baseline data and information on the status and threats affecting Rwanda’s wetlands biodiversity and ecosystem services will be collected and shared. The ARCOS Biodiversity Information Management Portal will be upgraded, too, with new geospatial analysis and web-mapping capabilities. Technical reports, policy briefs and other informational and advocacy materials targeting the key players in the sectors of water, energy, agriculture, urbanization and human settlement will be produced to recommend actions that can inform wetland use without undermining the development of these sectors.

1. Baseline status of wetlands’ biodiversity established through a comprehensive biodiversity assessment in key wetlands.
2. Ecosystem services of select wetlands identified as hotspots and threats facing them are analyzed, mapped, and evaluated.
3. The ARBIMS platform is upgraded and made accessible to a wide range of stakeholders.
4. Results of wetlands ecological integrity assessment are mainstreamed for incorporation into policy making and enhance collaboration for continued biodiversity monitoring.

With COVID-19 restricting travel and meeting with our grantees, JRS invited our projects to submit a short update for the JRS Board of Trustees. Though intended for an internal JRS audience, we loved these videos and share them here with permission. Enjoy!

• Biodiversity threat assessments and services valuation for 4 wetland landscapes: Nyabarongo-Nyabugogo Urban wetlands, Lower Akanyaru Wetlands, Upper Akanyaru Wetlands and Rweru-Mugesera Complex Wetlands using the Integrated Landscape Assessment and Monitoring Framework.
• Ecosystems services evaluated for Rweru Mugesera Complex Wetlands and Nyabarongo – Nyabugogo Wetlands.
• 4,600 new geo-referenced records of plant, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish, and birds published to GBIF via Integrated Publishing Toolkit as part of the ARBIMS Platform.
• Produce reports of findings and business cases for the 2 wetlands based on the assessment.
• 1,000 copies of policy briefs of wetlands ecological integrity assessment and wetland status report.
• Upgrade ARBIMS for better data visualization, web-mapping, and reporting.

The wetland assessments will be able to be applied to national policies and international evaluations of biodiversity (i.e., Aichi Targets). Wetlands management can be done via cross-sectoral collaboration  between different institutions such as Rwanda Environmental Management Authority, Ministry of Agriculture, and Rwanda Development Board. With the updated ARBIMS portal, biodiversity data can be easily accessed and used for decision-making.

Dr. Sam Kanyamibwa is the Founder and Executive Director of ARCOS. He is a professional conservationist, with over 25 years of experience in conservation at international level and particularly in Africa. He is an ecologist and ornithologist by training with an MBA in Management and extensive experience in project management.

Kanyamibwa believes that availability of information is the key to sound decisions in natural resources management. Sitting on the steering committees of many government-led projects in Rwanda, he always pushes for evidence-based decision making and planning. This project will therefore allow him and ARCOS to demonstrate the power of data and information for effective management of wetlands in the country.

• International Union for the Conservation of Nature
• Center of Excellence in Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management, University of Rwanda
• Center for Geographic Information Systems, University of Rwanda
• Rwanda Environmental Management Authority

JRS has had the honor of supporting ARCOS in 2011 and in 2013 in projects that led to the successful development of the ARCOS Biodiversity Information Management System (ARBIMS), a portal serving data for the Albertine Rift region. We are excited to support the implementation of this technical project following the successful completion of a planning phase. This project will build on the successes of the ARBIMS portal and integrate the platform with GBIF for publishing the wetlands biodiversity data.  We believe that ARCOS and their partners have the ability to raise the visibility and expand the access of biodiversity data for wetlands in Rwanda.