Participatory management of Ruvubu National Park

Ruvubu National Park is the largest of all Burundi’s nature reserves (50,800 ha) and serves as a refuge for species that have disappeared from the rest of the country (leopards, pangolins, hyenas, red colobus monkeys and 26 bird species on the IUCN Red List). This ecosystem currently faces numerous human pressures: bushfires, illegal hunting, illegal logging of multi-use trees (firewood, timber) and agro-pastoral activities beyond the Park’s boundaries carried out by farmer-herders.

INECN (the National Institute for Environment and Nature Conservation) is pursuing a policy of securing and policing the Park that does not sufficiently take into account the interests and needs of the particularly vulnerable populations living on its periphery. This has resulted in a very high level of tension between Park rangers and local populations, and significant hostility towards any initiative aimed at conserving natural resources.

AGDB is a Burundian association with modest resources, but already has experience managing projects funded by the GEF/SGP.

Thanks to the presence of numerous melliferous plants producing high-quality honey and strong local interest in this activity, AGDB’s objective is to develop beekeeping on the periphery of the park in order to reduce pressure on natural resources.

The project will operate in 3 villages — Gasave, Itaba and Karehe — in Buhinyuza Commune, and will involve 3,615 people.