The Rusizi Nature Reserve (RNR), located on Lake Tanganyika, is a 5,000-ha area of high biodiversity significance. 193 plant species, 6 large mammal species, 12 small mammal species and 130 bird species, including many migratory ones, have been recorded there, reflecting highly diverse birdlife.
The Burundian Association for Bird Protection (ABO) was founded in 1999. With financial support from the Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux (LPO), the Fondation Nature et Découvertes and the PPI-FFEM, it plans, through this project, to operate across a 1,000-ha area corresponding to the delta of the Rusizi River, home to around 1,500 people, including 300 fishers, who are directly concerned by this project.
The project’s main objective is to establish a partnership agreement between the 300 fishers and the reserve’s managers (the National Institute for Environment and Nature Conservation, INECN, responsible for managing protected areas in Burundi), with the aim of replenishing fish stocks, restoring spawning grounds, resolving conflicts related to the use of fisheries resources, and thereby achieving the long-term conservation of this unique and specific ecosystem.
