As the host of the 2nd Africa Regional Mountain Forum that was held in Kigali on 12-14 September 2018, Rwanda pledges to support Sustainable Mountain Development (SMD) initiatives in the country and develop legal instruments to mainstream SMD into th

Around 3 million hectares of forest are lost every year in Africa and 65 percent of land on the continent is affected by degradation resulting in an annual loss of 3 percent of GDP from soil and nutrient depletion. Most of these areas affected by deg

East Africa’s mountains support large human populations. The Ugandan side of Mount Elgon, for instance, has an average population density of 900 people per square kilometre. The Rwandan side of the Virunga massif also harbours the highest density o

The Albertine Rift has recently been the centre of major developments in terms of infrastructure development projects, oil exploration, and many other projects in agriculture, energy and transport sectors. These projects may represent a potential thr

It is now an accepted fact that the people who live in close contact with and depend upon natural ecosystems for their survival must be fully involved in all efforts to find solutions to conservation issues we are facing today. In mountain areas of

The World Mountain Forum is a biennial event that brings together stakeholders to discuss issues around Sustainable Mountain Development (SMD) and how it can be integrated in the global development agenda. This year’s edition will be hosted by the

Every year, Rwanda hosts the Kwita Izina event (Gorilla Naming Ceremony), an international event that has been celebrated since year 2005. The event embodies an intriguing story of how a country can leverage its natural capital sustainably in a chang