Advancing Ecosystem Restoration in Rwanda: A Year of Research and Learning
A year ago a consortium of German universities, in collaboration with the University of Rwanda and its Center of Exellence in Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management, started ecosystem restoration research in Western Rwanda. Over the past year the team has been actively engaged in stakeholder workshops, household interviews, tree population assessments and a range of other research activities aimed at understanding and supporting restoration efforts.
To further enhance the engagement on ecosystem restoration and enhance capacity building for students and researchers, the consortium organized a two- day academic event at the University of Rwanda in Kigali. The event featured a one- day lecture series on sustainability science ( February 19, 2025), followed by a hands-on workshop on social-ecological research methods (February 20, 2025)
Day 1: Advancing Ecosystem Restoration through Sustainability Science
The first day lecture series kicked off with a seeing on social-ecological systems thinking, delivered by Prof. Jörn Fischer from Leuphana University Lüneburg. This was followed by a research presentation on food security and livelihoods in restoration landscapes, presented by Ms. Susanne Vögele (PhD student) on behalf of Prof. Meike Wollny from the University of Göttingen. The day concluded with Dr. William Apollinaire from the Leibniz Center of Agriculture Landscapes, who shared insights on stakeholder engagement through a “Living Lab” approach to ecosystem restoration in western Rwanda
Day 2: Hands-On Learning in Social-Ecological Research
The second day featured a social-ecological research methods workshop, beginning with an introductory talk by Dr. Marina Frietsch on ecosystem restoration and the ongoing research activities of the DFG research unit. This was followed by interactive breakout sessions where students and researchers engaged with various research methods commonly applied in social-ecological systems science. These included: economic experiments Q- method (used for studying people’s perspectives), photovoice (a participatory visual research method), causal loop diagrams (for understanding systems dynamics ), different methods for assessing ecosystem multifunctionality and techniques for writing a journal article. The event provided and opportunity for students and researchers to deepen their understanding of sustainability science while gaining practical experience with key research methodologies
Day 1 : Prof Jörn Fischer and Dr. Venuste Nsengimana (Director of Center of Excellence in Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management) , students and researchers at the University of Rwanda, Ms Susanne Vögele and Dr. William Apollinaire
Day 2 : Dr. Marina Frietsch, interactive breakout sessions
Looking Ahead
This initiative marks just the beginning of a long term commitment to ecosystem restoration in Rwanda. By fostering collaboration between international researchers and local stakeholders the project aims to generate actionable insights that contribute to both academic knowledge and real-world impact.
Stay tuned for more updated as the research progresses!
Author: Ping Sun