Gishwati Forest
Encyclopedia
Gishwati Forest is a protected reserve in the north-western part of Rwanda
, not far from Lake Kivu
. The reserve’s forests were largely intact in 1978, and substantial forest cover still remained in 1986.
During the Rwandan Genocide
, wave after wave of refugees arrived in Gishwati Forest and began clearing it, often for subsistence farming. By 2001, only a small circular patch of native forest remained, 1500 acres (6.1 km²) of the forest’s original 250,000. In addition to tremendous loss of biodiversity
, the region experiences soil erosion and degradation
and landslides. Reforestation
efforts in the past few years have increased the remnant native forest to about 2500 acres (10.1 km²). Large tea estates occupy the central and northern parts of the reserve.
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, not far from Lake Kivu
Lake Kivu
Lake Kivu is one of the African Great Lakes. It lies on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, and is in the Albertine Rift, a part of the Great Rift Valley. Lake Kivu empties into the Ruzizi River, which flows southwards into Lake Tanganyika...
. The reserve’s forests were largely intact in 1978, and substantial forest cover still remained in 1986.
During the Rwandan Genocide
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
, wave after wave of refugees arrived in Gishwati Forest and began clearing it, often for subsistence farming. By 2001, only a small circular patch of native forest remained, 1500 acres (6.1 km²) of the forest’s original 250,000. In addition to tremendous loss of biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
, the region experiences soil erosion and degradation
Environmental degradation
Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife...
and landslides. Reforestation
Reforestation
Reforestation is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands that have been depleted, usually through deforestation....
efforts in the past few years have increased the remnant native forest to about 2500 acres (10.1 km²). Large tea estates occupy the central and northern parts of the reserve.