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In this study, we carry out an assessment of the impact of urbanization on Butare, southern Rwanda and evaluate its effect on the hydrological process at the Migina catchment. We used data from the meteorological stations of the Migina catchment, land-use maps of the region (obtained in 1974 and 2010) and GIS technology in order to analyse hydrological fluctuations in Migina catchment and the expansion of Butare town. We observed that, between the two hydrological years (1974 and 2010) water runoff increased by over 3.5% with increasing flood risks. Furthermore, evapotranspiration and groundwater level have decreased by about 3% and 0.5% leading to water scarcity. Research on urban planning is necessary in order to improve on water resources management and reduce the effects of urbanization on water resources such as in the Migina catchment.

Most National Parks (NP) and nature reserves in Rwanda have been established opportunistically in the early 1900s, without clear consideration of ensuring the protection to all threatened different taxonomical or functional groups, such as vegetation, invertebrates, fish, and birds. With the increasing conservation objectives, raised expectations into Protected Areas (PA), and within a more challenging environmental context, it is important to identify biodiversity hubs and key areas for Ecosystem Services (ES) to maximize the efficiency of conservation efforts by assisting priority areas under threats. To date, no comprehensive analysis, to the best of our knowledge has been done to assess both biodiversity and ES in Rwanda. This is a notable gap, considering that global-scale research suggests that the spatial overlap between biodiversity targets and ES is low. This study reports a nationwide assessment, mapping the richness of threatened species and three key ES Carbon Storage, Water Quantity, and Water Quality. Our analysis has shown that PAs are neither perfectly delineated to protect biodiversity nor key ES. The state of PAs offers a taxonomic protection bias in favor of mammals and birds but leaves many endangered species in other taxonomic groups in collapsing and unprotected small ecosystems scattered around the country. Rwanda’s PAs cover important carbon stock but can do better at securing higher water balance regions and clean water sources. We propose an improvement of the NP system in Rwanda to help guide the economic development along a path of green growth and ensures the well-being of both people and nature. Locating biodiversity hubs and key ES can help to connect conservationists, local people, and governments in order to better guide conservation actions.

Exactly 150 years have elapsed since the establishment of Yellowstone National Park in the USA, the first of its kind globally. Few Americans could have anticipated that this idea, would once and for all spark a revolutionary shift in humanity’s relationship with nature and wildlife worldwide. Currently, Protected Areas (PAs) are widely recognized as the best available means to ensure the survival and recovery of native and threatened animals and plant species. If success in conservation was solely based on the number or size of PAs, conservationists would have ample reason for celebration. However, the mainstreaming and adaptation of the PAs concept to various countries and regions, each having its socio-economic, cultural, and ecological realities have become room for both innovations and challenges in the conservation sector. Almost a full century since the establishment of the first NP on the African continent in 1925, this paper anticipatedly examines the PAs systems of the first three countries to embrace the NPs movement on the continent: the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, and Uganda. We have used a probabilistic index method to comparatively analyse quantitative and qualitative data, and assess the key indicators of the conservation policy, institutions, and PAs network in these countries alongside the USA. This approach enables us to discern divergent trajectories, detect potential shortcomings, identify vulnerabilities, contextualise these findings, and draw recommendations for future development. In contrast to the rather longstanding, stable, and relatively well-established U.S. PAs system, this research reveals frequent policy instruments amendments and managing institutions reshuffles, numerous cases of overlapping goals, conflicting missions, a rather static PAs typology, the over-reliance on single species exacerbated by a growing focus on revenue generation tendencies at the expense of the core conservation mission in the DRC, Rwanda, and Uganda.

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