Current vulnerability in the Virunga landscape, Rwanda

This briefing note presents the results of a regional baseline vulnerability assessment conducted between 2011 and 2012 in the Virunga landscape of Rwanda. Part of the 'Climate Change and Forests in the Congo Basin' (COBAM) project, the study focuses on 12 sectors across four districts adjacent to Volcanoes National Park. It examines how social dynamics, historical disturbances, and land-use practices interact with climatic variability to affect different community groups, particularly the Batwa, and evaluates the role of conservation and tourism in regional adaptive capacity.

• The Virunga landscape is characterized by extreme population density, reaching 600 individuals per km², driven by reduced mortality rates and migration that began in the 1960s due to the area's fertile soils.
• Soil erosion on steep slopes is primarily caused by the failure to use soil conservation and water management techniques rather than heavy rains alone, which are considered an indirect cause.
• The Batwa people experience higher vulnerability than non-Batwa groups due to extreme poverty, higher dependency on park resources, and lack of access to high-quality land, leaving them more exposed to floods and strong winds.
• There is a significant disparity in the use of Volcanoes National Park resources between ethnic groups; 28.8% of Batwa households collect fuelwood from the park, compared to only 0.4% of the rest of the community.
• While gorilla-based tourism has driven economic development and funded some adaptive infrastructure like water tanks, the benefits have primarily accrued to well-connected cooperatives and investors rather than the general population.
• Natural resource management is highly centralized and relies on restrictions that have failed to stop illegal exploitation, such as poaching and fuelwood harvesting, because policies to protect water sources and regulate minerals are absent.
• Historical social and political disturbances, including the mass exodus of refugees and the genocide, have significantly impacted the environment, livelihoods, and land rights.

APA

Pavageau, C., Butterfield, R., & Tiani, A. M. (2013). Current vulnerability in the Virunga landscape, Rwanda. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/sei-cobam-virunga-briefing-note.pdf

Chicago

Pavageau, Charlotte, Ruth Butterfield, and Anne Marie Tiani. Current vulnerability in the Virunga landscape, Rwanda. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2013. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/sei-cobam-virunga-briefing-note.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Pavageau |first1=Charlotte |last2=Butterfield |first2=Ruth |last3=Tiani |first3=Anne Marie |title=Current vulnerability in the Virunga landscape, Rwanda |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=April 2013 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/sei-cobam-virunga-briefing-note.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{pavageau2013current, author = {Pavageau, Charlotte and Butterfield, Ruth and Tiani, Anne Marie}, title = {{Current vulnerability in the Virunga landscape, Rwanda}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2013}, month = apr, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/sei-cobam-virunga-briefing-note.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }