Environmental and socio-economic impact of land use change. Case study of Gishwati forest in Rwanda

4.2. RECOMMENDATIONS

Local communities are of the opinion that the government of Rwanda should encourage them through job creation, loans, investments, trainings and other assistance with or on sustainable basis of natural resources such as forests.

+ In order to protect the population against the impacts of forest change, the following recommendations have been established:

+ Researchers should proceed to sensitize the population the protection of environment by use the resources at a slow rate.

+ The government should reinforce development project in rural areas in order to encourage population to the management of Gishwati forest.

+ Decentralization of REMA towards the sector level should lower the harm of natural resources especially the use of forest products.

+ MINEDUC should integrate environment education in the programs of nursery, primary and secondary schools as a way to increase the level of perception of natural resources management.

+ Private sector and civil society should be engaged to participate in the green economy.

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? It is imperative that local communities are adequately engaged as true agents of change and drivers of sustainable management of natural resources towards development.

? Partners should assist with monitoring of forest restoration projects and resources conditions as a critical component of adaptive management to help identify when an ecosystem?s resilience is reestablished.

? Strengthening institutional frameworks and focused policies to promote cross sector and participatory approaches to environmental and natural resources management.

? The use of modern stoves should also be encouraged in order to slow the use of firewood in the population around Gishwati forest.

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REFERENCE LISTS Books

1. David Lamb et al, 2005. Restoration of degraded tropical forest landscapes.

2. Edmund Barrow, Ô et al, (2002). Forest landscape restoration: Building assets for people and nature, experience from East Africa 2002, IUCN, and 29p.

3. FAO, (2011). Forests and people.

4. FAO, (1992). Aménagement et conservation des forêts denses en Amérique tropicale. Rome. 124p

5. Hunter, L. (2000). The environmental implications of population dynamics.

6. ONAPO, (1982). Actes du colloque «Famille, Population et Développent», Kigali. 300p.

7. Macmillan, (2005). Atlas du Rwanda, Malaysia. 57p

8. Masozera M. k. (2002). Socioeconomic impact analysis of the conservation of the Nyungwe forest reserve, Rwanda.

9. Petheram J, Patterson A, Jenkin B, Nettle R (2000). Socioeconomic impact of changing land use in south west Victoria. Institute of land and food resources,

university of Melbourne, Melbourne. Online at

http://www.gtplantations.org/publications accessed on 31 May 2012

10. Ranji,t K., (2011). Research methodology. A step by step guide for beginners. SAGE, London.

11. REMA (2009). Rwanda state of environment and outlook. Kigali, Rwanda.

12. Schemer, J., Williams, K., Borschmann, P. and Dunn, C. (2008). Socio-economic impacts of land use change in the green triangle and central Victoria.

13. SNR (2005). Recensement Général de la population et de l'habitat. Analyse des resultants. Perspectives et prospective démographiques, Kigali. 112p.

14. UNEP (2002). Africa environmental outlook. Past, present and future perspectives

15. Uwimana, M.F. (2007). Tree species composition for biodiversity conservation in Gishwati, Butare, Rwanda.

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16. William, P. C. and Mary, A. C., (2004). Principles of Environmental Science.

Thesis

17. Bamporiki, P. C., (2007). Impacts de la dégradation de la forêt naturelle de Gishwati sur la qualité de la population riveraine, mémoire inédit, UNR, Butare.

18. Hitimana, A. (2006). Analyse des facteurs de perte de la biodiversité végétale dans la forêt naturelle de Gishwati, mémoire inédit, UNR, Butare, 57 p.

19. Khalid Bin Musa (2008). Identifying land use changes and its socio-economic impact; a case study of Chakoria sundarban in Bangladesh. Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master programmes in geoinformatics.

20. Munyansanga, F. (2003). Impact de la destruction de la forêt naturelle de Gishwati sur l'environnement, Mémoire inédit, UNR, Butare. 120p.

21. Niyonzima, T. (2009). Land use dynamics in the face of population increase. A study in the districts of Gatsibo and Nyagatare, Eastern province, Rwanda. Geson.

22. Runyinya Barabwiriza, (1982). Problématique des réserves écologiques dans un pays á économie essentiellement agricole. Les forêts de montagne et de volcans du Rwanda, mémoire de maitrise, Luxembourg, 157p.

Papers

23. IUCN, (2009).IUCN's protected area program. Retrieved on May 20^th, from http://iucn. Org/about/ work/programs.

24. REMA, (2010). Proceedings of world environmental day and kwita izina 2010, Kigali. 18p.

25. Rutabingwa, F., (2010). Forestry in Rwanda. 18^th commonwealth forestry, Rwanda conference.

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APPENDICES

xi

Questionnaire guide interview

I am Jean de Dieu TWAYIGIRA, a student at national university of Rwanda in geography department option of environmental management. I am conducting an independent final research project entitled «Environmental and Socio-economic Impacts of land use change in Rwanda Case study of Gishwati forest» in order to get Bachelor?s degree in science. The objective of this questionnaire is to investigate how land use changes have been impact on the socioeconomic and environmental conditions in Rwanda specifically around Gishwati forest in western province.

You are chosen to participate because you have been purposively identified as participant. We would like to request you to kindly respond the attached questionnaire with honest. All responses provided will be used only for this research not for any other purpose, and no reference will be made to individual responses in this survey. The result might help decision makers to undertake action to solve identified problems.

We would greatly appreciate your frank participation.

Thank you for your contribution.

QUESTIONNAIRE

Village:

Date and time: Respondent:

Age:

Sex:

Occupation (list all)

XII

1. How many people are living in your household?

Number Age

Sex

Education occupation