Rwanda Unveils New Biodiversity Strategy to Balance Development and Nature

Speaking at the launch during ISO meeting, Juliet Kabera, Director General of the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA), said the new strategy reflects “our collective effort to integrate biodiversity protection across all sectors—from agriculture and tourism to industry, and tree planting and forest restoration.”

Kabera explained that the strategy aims to ensure that Rwanda’s development initiatives go hand in hand with biodiversity conservation. “It’s not about protecting biodiversity in isolation,” she said. “It’s about ensuring that every sector contributes to safeguarding our natural resources while pursuing growth.”

The plan, which runs from 2025 to 2030, defines clear roles and responsibilities for every stakeholder and introduces mechanisms to monitor progress and measure implementation outcomes—an improvement from the previous strategy.

According to Kabera, the NBSAP was developed collaboratively with multiple institutions and stakeholders, and its successful implementation will require well-coordinated financing. “Funds will come from different sources, but REMA will coordinate all efforts to ensure that every project is tracked, budgeted, and complementary to others,” she noted. 

She added that biodiversity and the environment “belong to all of us,” urging citizens to take part in conservation efforts because “when we protect nature, we protect our own lives.”

The Minister of Environment, Dr. Arakwiye Bernadette described the new strategy as “a significant milestone in Rwanda’s commitment to biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.” She emphasized the need for all sectors to live in harmony with nature and to integrate biodiversity protection into everyday activities.

Building on Rwanda’s 30-year journey in conservation, the NBSAP aligns with Vision 2050, the Green Growth and Climate Resilience Strategy, and the National Strategy for Transformation (NST2). It highlights Rwanda’s achievements in restoring forests, rehabilitating wetlands, and promoting green growth, with examples such as the protection of wetlands that earned Kigali City recognition for environmental excellence.

Kabera summed it up poignantly: “The environment is not on another planet. It’s in our daily lives—in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the soil we depend on. Protecting it is protecting ourselves.”