Located in Rongi Sector of Muhanga District, Busaga natural forest once occupied 300 hectares of land but has been reduced to less than 150 hectares due to agriculture, wood exploitation and settlement.
Other activities that have led to the near extinction of this forest include illegal hunting, clay mining and logging, which have also decimated wildlife.
Things are not any different for Kibirizi-Muyira natural forest with 351 hectares in Nyanza District which has been affected by human activities like cultivation, logging, hunting, bee-keeping and charcoal burning, among others.
Currently, there is no clear demarcation between the forest and farm land for area residents.
Patrick Kajyambere, the Nyanza district vice mayor in charge of economic development said that some farmers have even acquired land titles for the encroached part of the forest.
He said that investigations are under way to determine how these people got land titles for land that was gazetted as a forest.
According to Kajyambere, efforts are already underway to restore the forest and those who will be found to have genuinely obtained titles will be compensated while those without will not be compensated.
Ibanda-Makela Natural Forest in Kirehe District with 169-hectare forest is another forest that is home to several species of wildlife such as monkeys, snakes, chimpanzees, wild pigs, antelopes, leopards and birds as well as 124 tree species.
Over the past two decades, it has been severely degraded, losing 80 per cent of its original size.
These are few samples of 283,128 hectares natural forests that are endangered and environmentalists say there is need for urgent action to restore and protect them.
"There are different natural forests that have to be protected by establishing buffer zones and in those buffer zones, there should be planted medicinal plants or medicinal trees,” said Marie Laetitia Busokeye, the director of research and planning at Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA).
The New Times has learnt that natural forests under threat are in the districts of Karongi, Nyamasheke, Rutsiro, Rusizi, Kirehe, Bugesera, Nyagatare, Gatsibo, Musanze, Burera, Muhanga, Nyanza, Ngororero and Kamonyi.
This is according to REMA list of endangered terrestrial ecosystems and species in need of protection in Rwanda.
The inventory shows that there are three ecosystems are classified as ‘collapsed’ which include Ndoha Natural Forest in Karongi district, Sanza Natural Forest in Ngororero district, and Mashyuza Natural Forest in Rusizi district.
There are also ten are ‘critically endangered forests’ which include volcanoes National Park, Busaga Natural Forest in Muhanga district; Dutake Natural Forest in Karongi district, Gishwati Natural Forest; Karama Natural Forest in Bugesera, Karehe-Gatuntu Natural Forest in Karongi, Ibanda-Makera Natural Forest in Kirehe; Nyagasenyi Natural Forest in Kirehe and Rujambara Natural Forest.
It shows that four natural forests are considered as ‘endangered’ namely Kibirizi and Muyira Natural Forest in Nyanza district; Akagera National Park; Nyungwe National Park; and Muvumba Gallery Forest.
The forests accommodate tree species that are in danger of disappearing such as trees of medicinal value, timber industry, cultural significance and others.
REMA points out that tree felling, agricultural encroachment, logging, hunting, mining, firewood collection; charcoal production and poles and timbers production are the major threats to the forests.
High cost of restoration
The ministry of environment says that restoration of degraded natural forests will be gradually being carried since the cost of restoration is huge.
Natural forests, REMA says, cover 283,128 hectares (11.9 per cent) of total country’s surface.
Marc Manyifika, the Director General of Land, Water and Forest in the Ministry of Environment told The New Times that restoring just one hectare requires a budget of Rwf200,000 and Rwf400,000.
"The budget to restore a forest varies depending on nature of the forest and expected outcome. Rwanda has committed to restore two million of degraded land including natural forests by 2030 under Bonn Challenge,” he said.
He said that some natural forests have special protection laws while others don’t have.
Currently, the forests with special laws are Volcano National Park, Nyungwe National Park as well as Gishwati-Mukura National Park, he said.
After restoring Gishwati-Mukura forest, there is another Rwf32 billion project to restore forestry in southern Rwanda which will be implemented by Rwanda Management Authority and Rwanda Forestry Authority.
The project will help to restore two endangered natural forests on 550 hectares located in the districts of Muhanga and Nyanza.
"We will continue to restore other natural forests as financial means is availed,” he added.
Rwanda last year announced it had reached the target of 30 per cent forest cover against the national surface, a target that was set under the framework of Bonn Challenge.