October 2, 2006

DRAFT MAP TILE (Sample of Butare):

Forest map tile sample Butare

>> View in full resolution

July 5, 2006

PAPER TO BE PRESENTED TO AARSE CAIRO 2006

AARSE 2006 paper

(Word, 33.5 kb)

Click on the icon to download the abstract of the paper that will be presented to the 6th conference of the African Association of Remote Sensing for the Environment, Cairo, Egypt, 2006 (Word doc).

February 9, 2006

INTERIM REPORT

Interim report Forest mapping with Remote Sensing

(Word, 767.5 kb)

Click on the icon to download the interim project report (Word doc).

August 19, 2005

Background
Rwanda is a small mountainous, landlocked country covering 26,338 K2 with 8,16 million people and an average population density of about 317 people per Km2. Despite its spatial exiguity, Rwanda is covered with diversified ecosystems: natural ecosystems constituted by ombrophiles forests of mountain like Nyungwe with 89,450 ha in 1999, Mukura with 1600 ha, Gishwati estimated between 20 and 700 ha remaining area, the volcano national Park with 12, 720 ha; forests galleries with 163 ha and wooded areas covered 256,300 ha. (National Strategy and action plan for the conservation of biodiversity in Rwanda, April 2003).

Forests are a key element in the regulation of the climate and the river systems, in the prevention of the erosion and the reduction of the atmospheric pollution and play an essential role in global carbon and hydrological cycles. More over, they play an important role in reducing poverty since they contribute to the economy of the families, administrative entities and the country in General. They are considered then as an important capital.

Rwanda Forests sector has suffered from degradation and regression of forest resources; the main causes being the overexploitation of forests, the poor management of existing resources and the lack of knowledge on available resources.

The Ministry of Lands, Environment, Forests, Water and Natural Resources (MINITERE) initiated the Rwandan Forest mapping project in 2005 to update the existing forest map elaborated in 1992.

Objectives
The overall objective of this project is to undertake the mapping of forests resources in Rwanda at 1/25000e to support the elaboration of the PAFN 2005-2008

Specific objectives
1. Inventory and estimate forest/woodlands location, area 9at least 0.5 ha), floristic composition, age, type, soil type, density and health status using existing maps, aerial photography, satellite imagery and field data collection.
2. Monitor changes of forest land occupation overtime
3. Inventory, organization, standardization and centralization of national geographic and other databases available on forest in Rwanda to allow interested institutions and decision-makers to access easily to update information critical in the decision-making processes.
4. Develop a National GIS/RS based information System for Forest in Rwanda
5. Develop capacity building in the application of RS and GIS tools and methods for Forest inventory and mapping.

This will support the future development of methods for sustainable use of forests in Rwanda and evaluate agro-forestry development at farm level.

Final products
The final phase of the project will consist of final map production in digital as well as in hard copy formats and reporting.

Partners
  Ministry of Lands, Environment, Forests, Water and Natural Resources (MINITERE)
  The Center for GIS and RS at the National University of Rwanda (CGIS-NUR)
  The « Institut des Sciences Agronomiques du Rwanda » (ISAR)
  The International Center for Research in Agro forestry (ICRAF)
  The International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ICT) in the Netherlands as international expertise.