Straddling the border between Rwanda and Burundi, Lake Rweru (around 10,000 ha) is the largest of the eight lakes in the Bugesera region. It forms part of a distinctive marsh and lake complex and plays an important regulatory role. This ecosystem currently faces numerous human-induced threats (overfishing, use of mosquito nets, pressure from agricultural activities), driven by proximity to the town of Busoni (140,000 inhabitants), located 10 km from the lake, as well as natural threats (bank erosion and lake sedimentation).
In 2005, the lake was designated part of the Bugesera Protected Aquatic Landscape by the National Institute for Environment and Nature Conservation (INECN), which developed a management and development plan for it in 2009.
In response to these challenges, the NGO APRN/BEPB, which has been active for three years on a nearby lake, has set itself the objective of contributing to the restoration of vegetation along the shores of Lake Rweru, through the following activities: restoring vegetation along the lakeshore; improving the biophysical conditions of the agricultural areas bordering Lake Rweru; and introducing rational plant exploitation methods and the craft-based valorisation of certain natural resources.
