Building Resilience of Vulnerable Communities to Climate Variability in Rwanda’s Congo Nile Divide through Forest and Landscape Restoration Rwanda

The project aims to protect and restore the Congo Nile Divide (CND) landscape in Rwanda, focusing on an area of 444,600 hectares. It addresses vulnerabilities to landslides, floods, and soil erosion caused by climate variability and deforestation. The strategy involves three main components: mainstreaming climate adaptation into land-use planning, restoring natural forests and creating ecological 'stepping stones' for biodiversity, and enhancing rural livelihoods through agroforestry, beekeeping, and the distribution of fuel-efficient cookstoves. The project seeks $39.06 million in GCF grants, with additional co-financing from the Rwandan government, to benefit over 1.25 million direct beneficiaries.

• The Congo Nile Divide (CND) is a high-elevation landscape of 444,600 hectares that is highly vulnerable to floods and landslides due to steep slopes and deforestation, with an estimated 1.5 million tons of fertile soil lost annually to erosion.
• Natural forest cover in the CND has declined by 40% since independence, dropping from 219,000 ha to 130,700 ha, with the Gishwati and Mukura core forest areas experiencing nearly a 90% loss from their 1980s extent.
• Climate models predict a net temperature increase of approximately +2.6 °C by mid-century relative to a 20th-century baseline, which could cause a vertical rise in vegetation zone elevations of about 470 meters.
• The project aims to restore 5,000 ha of intact forest, 2,500 ha of protective forests on slopes greater than 55%, 3,346 ha of smallholder farmland through agroforestry, 1,000 ha of pastures, and 1,500 ha of riparian linkages.
• The project expects to directly benefit 1,254,242 people (including 654,404 women) and indirectly benefit 9,260,745 people nationally, while creating approximately 24,212 job opportunities.
• Total mitigation impact is estimated at 1,084,291 tCO2-eq by 2043, achieved through reduced deforestation, forest restoration, and the adoption of improved cookstoves by 8,500 households.
• The project will establish a new spatial planning unit (SPU) and an indigenous forest monitoring system to move Rwanda away from ad-hoc forest data generation toward evidence-based land-use planning.
• To reduce pressure on forests, the project will develop climate-resilient value chains for high-value crops including macadamia, avocado, chili, and French beans, alongside beekeeping and ecotourism.
• The project will implement a financial inclusion model using Farmer Savings Groups (FSGs) to provide credit and financial literacy to vulnerable women and youth who lack traditional collateral.
• The total project cost is 50,000,000 USD, with 39,056,421 USD requested as a grant from the GCF and 10,943,579 USD in co-financing from the Rwanda Development Board, Rwanda Forestry Authority, and Rwanda Water Resources Board.

APA

Green Climate Fund (2023). Building Resilience of Vulnerable Communities to Climate Variability in Rwanda’s Congo Nile Divide through Forest and Landscape Restoration Rwanda. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp217-moe-rwanda-rwanda_1.pdf

Chicago

Green Climate Fund. Building Resilience of Vulnerable Communities to Climate Variability in Rwanda’s Congo Nile Divide through Forest and Landscape Restoration Rwanda. 2023. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp217-moe-rwanda-rwanda_1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Green Climate Fund |title=Building Resilience of Vulnerable Communities to Climate Variability in Rwanda’s Congo Nile Divide through Forest and Landscape Restoration Rwanda |date=24 November 2023 |url=https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp217-moe-rwanda-rwanda_1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greenclimatefund2023building, author = {{Green Climate Fund}}, title = {{Building Resilience of Vulnerable Communities to Climate Variability in Rwanda’s Congo Nile Divide through Forest and Landscape Restoration Rwanda}}, institution = {Green Climate Fund}, year = {2023}, month = nov, url = {https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp217-moe-rwanda-rwanda_1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }