Gloomy picture as residents set to be evicted from Gishwati forest

About 152 families in Ruhango Sector near River Sebeya who have been occupying sections of Gishwati face eviction. Gishwati forest covers parts of Rubavu, Nyabihu and Rutsiro Districts in the Western Province. The forest has been described by many residents as source of critical livelihoods for the occupants. For many years, Gishwati has acted as a food basket for many towns including Kigali City. Farmers in Gishwati have for long been known as large scale producers of Irish potatoes. All this is set to change due to the eviction notice . Jean Marie Hategekimana, a resident of Ruhango Sector in Rutsiro District says that the fertile land within Giswati ensures food security in their households, and guarantees income which has greatly improved their living standards. The eviction announcement was made by the Minister of Natural Resources, Stanislaus Kamanzi, as part of government efforts to restore forest cover and protect biodiversity within the depleted forest area, after it was discovered that the area has been heavily degraded due to human encroachment. Those who supported eviction said that human activities such as farming was being practised in an area designated as a forest.The forest cover has been depleted leading to soil erosion, flooding and landslides. Consequently environmentalists say river Sebeya located in the area is also polluted due to soil erosion. Endangered species such as chimpanzees that were discovered in Gishwati forests are under serious threat. “All the above factors have influenced the ministry to come up with measures to evict some families that have settled in these very fragile areas such as part of Ruhango Sector near River Sebeya. About 152 families will be relocated to other areas outside Gishwati forest,” Kamanzi told The New Times recently. Opponents of the eviction however are quick to point out that the new development may trigger a hike in food prices generally and lead to food shortages among the affected families. Jeanine Murekatete, one of those to be evicted upon being interviewed by The New Times said the living conditions of the affected residents may be affected because the new land where they are relocating may not be as productive as Gishwati. Eviction advantageous But the minister insists that eviction is the only solution to restoring the forest cover. He stressed that such a measure would ensure sustainable improved livelihood of residents in the region. “Conservation of Gishwati is in the interest of all Rwandans and the whole world. Seeing Gishwati hill reclaimed will be a beautiful undertaking and environmentally important to the Western Province,” Kamanzi said while visiting Rutsiro District. The minister outlined a number of additional benefits from the conservation efforts planned. He cited gradual restoration of the ecosystem, control of soil erosion, floods and landslides which had occurred in the area. Once the second-largest natural forest in Rwanda, Gishwati before encroachment was an expansive natural ecosystem extending over 100,000 hectares. By the late 1980s, Gishwati was reduced to about one-fourth of its original size. Resettlement of Rwandans formerly living in exile after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi reduced the forest to about 600 hectares. Reforestation efforts by the Ministry of Natural Resources and other environmental conservation projects over the past years is said to have increased Gishwati’s forest cover to approximately 1,000 hectares. The eviction notice is part of driving the reforestation efforts. To achieve this the ministry works in conjunction with the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA), Rwanda National Forestry Authority (NAFA) and Association pour la sauvegarde de l’environnement est sa Conservation “ASEC.” Ends