Enabel in collaboration with Rwanda Forestry Authority (RFA), Rwanda’s Ministry of Environment and World Vision has been conducting consultation meetings with District officials and technicians from the Eastern Province of Rwanda on approaches to increase and improve biodiversity in the seven District of the Eastern Province namely Bugesera, Gatsibo, Kayonza, Kirehe, Ngoma, Nyagatare and Rwamagana.  The approaches include Biodiversity Sancta and Private Forest Management Unit (PFMU).

Biodiversity Sancta is an innovative approach developed under COMBIO project to promote biodiversity in degraded landscapes of Rwanda’s Eastern Province using local community. Biodiversity sancta  is an area of around 15-20ha dedicated for native tree species production, planting and valorization through establishment and maintenance on different  compartments such as Nursery, botanical garden, pharmacopeia and Essential oil native species garden, fruit tree orchards, Native shrubs seed stand etc, all managed by local community groups organized into cooperatives.
Biodiversity sancta will be benefiting community living around it and the country in general through the supply of sufficient quality native germplasm,  supporting pollination and beekeeping value chains, traditional medicine and essential oil, ecotourism etc. It will promote  easy access and promotion of native fruits and will support awareness and education of communities on the use of native species.

Private Forest Management Unit – PFMU,  (Impuzamashyamba in local language, Kinyarwanda) is an approach developed and successfully piloted in Rwamagana, Gicumbi, Gakenke and Rulindo districts in the former Belgian funded FMBE project to support smallholder private forest owners in the conversion of their degraded old forest into productive forest and ensure their sustainable management in the years ahead following a designed SFMP for each restored PFMU. TREPA will support the restoration of 6,545 ha of private forests through PFMU approach.

Both Biodiversity Sancta and PFMU approaches will be used in recently launched Green Climate Fund-GCF funded TREPA project and the Swedish International  Development Agency-SIDA funded COMBIO Project to support restoration of degraded landscapes through forests and agroforestry landscapes restoration and promotion of diverse native tree species to boost biodiversity  in the seven districts of Eastern Province of Rwanda. 

About COMBIO and linkage with TREPA project

COMBIO project entitled “Reducing vulnerability to climate change through enhanced Community-based Biodiversity conservation in the Eastern Province of Rwanda” is a six-year project (2021-2027)  funded by SIDA to support the restoration and improved management of eight natural forests protected by 2015 ministerial decree and increase the use of native tree species in productive areas restored by TREPA (Transforming the Eastern Province through Adaptation) Project. 
COMBIO project was developed to complement TREPA restoration efforts and will be supporting in promoting the use of diversified native species to restore and protect biodiversity over the targeted TREPA landscapes of the Eastern Province.
COMBIO will support establishment and maintenance of 3-5 biodiversity sancta per District and the integration  of native species over the 50,000 ha of agroforestry and silvopastoral landscapes at a rate of 16% of native trees/shrubs and over the 10.000 ha of public and small holder forests at a rate of 5% of native trees.