Current vulnerability in the Virunga landscape, Rwanda

This briefing note details a vulnerability assessment conducted between 2011 and 2012 in the Virunga landscape of Rwanda as part of the COBAM project. The analysis focuses on current vulnerability, examining how climate-related disturbances affect different social groups and their interactions with natural resources.

• The Virunga landscape encompasses 15,155 km² surrounding Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, bordering Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Land use in the region is characterized by protected areas and agriculture, including subsistence farming and plantations of coffee, tea, cocoa, and pyrethrum.
• Climate-related disturbances have varied impacts on agricultural activities. A participatory exercise with non-Batwa women identified that impacts on production, plants (such as uprooting), and soil (such as landslides removing arable land) differ, and that direct consequences like field flooding can be mitigated to reduce the final impact on income or well-being.
• Batwa groups experience higher vulnerability to destructive disturbances, such as strong winds that destroy produce, fields, and housing, compared to non-Batwa groups. This is attributed to their extreme poverty and high dependency on the park, while restrictions on park access have led to displacement and poor housing conditions.

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} }