Nyabarongo wetlands_Marc Ndimukaga
Nyabarongo wetlands, an Important Bird Area in Rwanda is a refuge for wetland -dependent species and plays important roles in regulating water flow.
They are home of the endangered Madagascar Pond heron Ardeola idae, the Near-threatened Papyrus Gonolek Laniarius mufumbiri, the Vulnerable Grey Crowned Crane Balearica regulorum gibbericeps, and Sitatunga Tragelaphus spekii. The unsustainable use of wetland resources and that of its watershed coupled with climate change have affected the wetlands and hence caused locals to suffer.
With the help of Association pour la Conservation de la Nature au Rwanda, the Inyange Site Support Group now harvests Papyrus for handicrafting after every four months. This allows for its (Papyrus) regeneration while the group members actively engage in monitoring and reporting illegal users of wetlands resources, for example, Sitatunga hunters.
This action has benefited some species that were almost eliminated in the wetlands to recover significantly. Today, Cranes may be seen in the wetlands, a positive outcome, as this species was over hunted in recent years for meat and illegally captured for ornamental purposes. Local people too are also benefitting from sale of handicrafts made by sustainably making use of locally available materials from the wetlands.
Women involved in craft making from local available materials from the wetland_Marc Ndimukaga
By Marc Ndimukaga
Association pour la Conservation de la Nature au Rwanda (BirdLife Partner in Rwanda),
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January 8th, 2013 at 10:59 pm
Thanks a lot Tim for your piece. There is good news out there on the Sitatunga in West Africa. A small population of Sitatunga can still be found living in marshy areas of the northern part of the Keta Lagoon Complex Ramsar site in Ghana. The area has now been declared a Community Resource Management Area(CREMA)for the conservation of the Sitatunga and other fauna and flora.
December 14th, 2012 at 7:19 am
This wetland is essential for the Madagascar pond heron and the grey crowned crane, but also for the sitatunga, which has disappeared from West Africa. Rwanda is well known for preserving the mountain gorilla in the Virunga Mountains. But is can also keep the Madagascar pond heron, grey crowned crane, and sitatunga viable in Rwanda, and the rest of Central Africa.