Current vulnerability in the Virunga landscape, Rwanda

The vulnerability assessment in the Virunga landscape reveals that climate-related disturbances affect different social groups and activities unevenly. While non-Batwa women identified that direct consequences of events like flooding can be mitigated to reduce impacts on income, Batwa groups perceive themselves as more severely affected by destructive disturbances such as strong winds. The Batwa are identified as a particularly vulnerable group due to extreme poverty, high dependency on the park, and displacement resulting from restricted park access, leaving many in poor housing.

• Climate-related disturbances have differentiated impacts on agricultural activities, specifically affecting soil through landslides, damaging plants, and impacting production. Participatory exercises with non-Batwa women indicated that direct consequences, such as field flooding that hinders access, can be mitigated to reduce the final impact on income or well-being.
• Batwa groups experience higher perceived vulnerability to destructive disturbances, such as strong winds that destroy produce, houses, and fields, compared to non-Batwa groups.
• The Batwa are characterized by extreme poverty and a high level of dependency on the park. Furthermore, restrictions on park access have caused the displacement of these communities, and most Batwa continue to live in flimsy or poor housing despite some rehousing initiatives.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2013). Current vulnerability in the Virunga landscape, Rwanda. https://www.sei.org/publications/current-vulnerability-in-the-virunga-landscape-rwanda/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Current vulnerability in the Virunga landscape, Rwanda. 2013. https://www.sei.org/publications/current-vulnerability-in-the-virunga-landscape-rwanda/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Current vulnerability in the Virunga landscape, Rwanda |date=26 September 2013 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/current-vulnerability-in-the-virunga-landscape-rwanda/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2013current, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Current vulnerability in the Virunga landscape, Rwanda}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2013}, month = sep, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/current-vulnerability-in-the-virunga-landscape-rwanda/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }