Position paper on ecosystem restoration in Rwanda
In February 2025, a meeting in Kigali was organized by our research group to share diverse insights on social-ecological restoration among a range of different organizations representing both research and practice. The meeting resulted in seven concrete recommendations for improved restoration practice in Rwanda. These recommendations have been shared with policymakers in the position paper attached to this blog post.
Briefly, the seven recommendations are:
Recommendation 1: Efforts to use native species in restoration must be greatly increased
Recommendation 2: Homegardens must be included in restoration strategies because they are pivotal for both nutrition and biodiversity
Recommendation 3: Science can help to guide the development of a sustainable corridor from Nyungwe NP to Gishwati-Mukura NP and Volcanoes NP
Recommendation 4: Short-term and long-term considerations are needed to enhance livelihoods and nutrition
Recommendation 5: Genuine community involvement is important at all stages of restoration, from planning to monitoring
Recommendation 6: The best available science must be used to evaluate restoration policy and practice
Recommendation 7: A shift in mindsets is required to move away from simple metrics of ‘trees planted’ to a culture of collectively growing ecosystems that will benefit people and biodiversity
Some of these recommendations will not come as a surprise to those who have been engaged in restoration science and practice for many years. However, even these ‘obvious’ aspects of good restoration practice are not always adhered to when various real-world constraints shape and limit what happens on the ground. In other words: even (and especially!) the obvious recommendations deserve attention because despite them being widely known, they still are not always implemented on the ground.
Other recommendations are far less obvious: for example, the potential importance of homegardens for biodiversity conservation and restoration remains relatively little appreciated by many people who are active in restoration.
We share our position paper and its seven recommendations in a spirit of fostering constructive dialogue on how to further improve restoration outcomes for both people and biodiversity in Rwanda. A big thank you to all the organizations who were involved in putting this together!