The Rwanda Forestry Authority/RFA held a quarterly meeting on tree planting in Kayonza District, last Thursday 5th October, bringing together stakeholders and partners such as IUCN, ENABEL, TREPA, COMBIO, TUBURA, ICRAF, WOLD VISION and Kayonza District, just to mention a few. The RFA-SPIU Coordinator expressed his gratitude for the remarkable milestones achieved and called for collective support for the conservation of existing trees and the quadrupling of agroforestry species.

According to experts, native tree species had been planted in Rwanda for thousands of years, such as: Markhamia sp. However, they were once neglected as residents could hardly realize that they were a refuge for biodiversity of fauna and flora until some of them began to disappear.

John Bosco Nyemanzi, Mayor of a district of nearly 500,000 people, praised RFA for its unwavering support in combating drought by adopting a community approach that empowers Kayonza residents to take responsibility for all tree planting activities:

“Where there is a tree, there is life!” We know how important it is to plant trees in our surroundings. Trees make our household more beautiful and our children eat fruits that trees provide. “The kind of trees we are supposed to plant grow very quickly and produce forests.” He added that sensitizing people about the importance of trees offers a solid hope for Rwandans, especially young generations, to live an outstanding life with cleaner air in the next decades.

RFA aims to plant at least 17 million trees, a large percentage of which are agroforestry trees that protect the natural environment from soil erosion and degradation in areas severely affected by drought, such as the Ndego sector. This part of a thousand hills country requires exceptional conservation efforts as it is home to countless biodiversity including fauna and flora as well as Akagera National Park, which is famous for the Big Five.

Jean Paul Rwabuyonza, the Coordinator of the Single Project Implementation Unity (SPIU) at RFA, expressed his gratitude for the commitment of partners and stakeholders and urged everyone to prioritize the upcoming tree planting season to improve living conditions by continuing to deliver on their promises for trees and expanding their reach:

“Growing a tree requires so much care and attention.” It needs water and fertile soil to grow better from a seedling to transplanting and harvesting. As RFA, we cannot do it alone, so collaboration remains the best strategy. “I am really optimistic that our mission to promote forests and make the country evergreen will become a reality in the near future,” he said. 

Across the country, at least 62,843,695 seedlings are being prepared to be planted by December 2023.