# Presentation: 472911

## Islamic Republic of Mauritania

**Islamic Republic of Mauritania**

**Facts and Figures**

**Total Surface Area: 1 025 520 km****2**
**Estimated Population in 2006: 3 158 000**

**The eye of Mauritania, thought to have been caused by uplifted sedimentary rock layers sculpted by erosion, is nearly 50 kilometres across**

**Important Environmental Issues**
- • Desertification and Deforestation
- • Iron Mining
- • Fisheries and Coastal Ecosystems

**0.5% of Mauritania’s total land area is classified as arable**

## Islamic Republic of Mauritania

**Wetlands around Diawling National Park**

**The construction of the Diama Dam in 1986 (yellow arrow) disrupted the cycle of flooding and evaporation in the Senegal River delta wetlands**

**Drought had already begun to impact the wetlands before construction of the dams in the 1980s (1979 image)**

**The 2006 image shows the restored wetlands in and around Diawling National Park**

**Islamic Republic of Mauritania**

**Notes:**
Wetlands around Diawling National Park: Mauritania
Prior to construction of Diama Dam across the Senegal River, land surrounding the Senegal
Estuary was fl ooded with fresh water from late July to late September each year. During the dry
season, these delta wetlands would become saltier than the ocean, as their waters were reduced
by evaporation.
This yearly cycle was disrupted by the construction of the Diama Dam in 1986 (yellow arrow).
Both the Diama Dam, and the Manantali Dam constructed upstream in Mali, were intended to
regulate the fl ow of the Senegal River, generate hydroelectric power, and facilitate development
of irrigated agriculture. However, irrigation in the delta has been less successful and less productive than
planned; lacking proper drainage systems, the land is becoming waterlogged and saline after just a few years
under irrigation.
Drought had already begun to impact the wetlands before construction of the dams in the 1980s (1979 image).
Following their construction in the 1980s, fi sh stocks decreased and wetland vegetation was decimated. In the
early 1990s, a restoration project began using controlled fl ooding of the delta by managed water releases. It has
revived the wetlands and restored much of the lost fl ora and fauna to the area. The 2006 image shows the restored
wetlands in and around Diawling National Park.

## Islamic Republic of Mauritania

**Along the Rosso-Nouakchott Highway**

**In the 1972 image, bright reflection from the sandy soils surrounding the highway is mixed with some vegetation (shades of green)**

**In the 1990 image, the path of the highway shows as a bright yellow corridor from**
**northwest to southeast through El Haedi**

**Islamic Republic of Mauritania**

**The 2006 image shows the same pattern of vegetation loss along the highway**

**North of the border between Mauritania and Senegal, National Highway 2 connects Nouakchott with Rosso**

**Notes:**
Along the Rosso-Nouakchott Highway: Mauritania
North of the border between Mauritania and Senegal, National Highway 2 connects Mauritania’s
coastal capital Nouakchott with the regional capital of Rosso. The highway has brought increased
settlement to this arid area, leading to the loss of natural vegetation for building, grazing, and
fuel, and beginning the process of desertifi cation. Without vegetation to retain water and decrease
wind erosion, the fertility and productivity of the soil declines, dry sandy soil begins to
drift, and vegetation is less able to reestablish itself.
The signs of progressive degradation of the land along the Nouakchott–Rosso Highway can be seen in these
images. In the 1972 image, bright refl ection from the sandy soils surrounding the highway is mixed with some
vegetation (shades of green). In the 1990 image, the path of the highway shows as a bright yellow corridor from
northwest to southeast through El Haedi. The 2006 image shows the same pattern of vegetation loss along
the highway.
The 2005 high-resolution image is an enlarged view of the outlined area (red box) on the 2006 image. Red
arrows on the 2005 image indicate areas of almost total vegetation loss. Continued population growth is increasing
the demands made on this arid landscape.

## Republic of Mauritius

**Republic of Mauritius**

**Facts and Figures**

**Total Surface Area: 2 040 km****2**
**Estimated Population in 2006: 1 256 000**

**Population of the Echo Parakeet (*****Psittacula***
***eques*****), found in Black River Gorges National Park,**
**increased from 10 in the 1980s to over 320 in 2000**

**Important Environmental Issues**
- • Coastal Water Pollution
- • Threats to Biodiversity

## Republic of Rwanda

**Threatened Coral Reefs in Mauritius**

**Coral reefs almost surround Mauritius, these ****are complex  ecosystems, rich in biodiversity yet only able to survive in very clear, warm and nutrient-poor ocean waters**

**Republic of Rwanda**

**In these satellite images, coral reefs (yellow arrows) form a fringe along the island’s shores and create shallow lagoons that are extremely important to the fishing and tourist industries**

**Notes:**
Threatened Coral Reefs, Mauritius
Over the past 50 years, the population of Mauritius has nearly doubled, to 1.2 million. It currently has the highest
population density of any African country, 652 people per km2. Mauritius has also seen a dramatic growth in its
economy, which has increased demands on its environment.
Coral reefs almost surround Mauritius. Coral reefs are complex ecosystems, rich in biodiversity yet only able to
survive in very clear, warm and nutrient-poor ocean waters. In these satellite images, coral reefs (yellow arrows) form
a fringe along the island’s shores and create shallow lagoons that are extremely important to the fi shing and tourist
industries. The island’s population density as well as agricultural runoff, untreated sewage, changes in freshwater
runoff, tourist activity, and global warming all threaten the health of the reefs.

## Kingdom of Morocco

**Kingdom of Morocco**

**Facts and Figures**

**Total Surface Area: 446 550 km****2**
**Estimated Population in 2006: 31 943 000**

**The oil-yielding Argan tree (*****Argania spinosa*****) is unique to Morocco and grows only in the Souss Valley of the southwest**

**Important Environmental Issues**
- • Drought and Desertification
- • Water Scarcity
- • Pollution

**Percentage of the country’s fresh water used for**
**agricultural production 90%**

## Kingdom of Morocco

**The Sustainability of Al Wahda Dam**

**Al Wahda ****Dam is** t**he second-largest dam in Africa and the largest in Morocco**

**The 1987 image shows the area before the dam was built in 1996**

**More recently natural and human-caused erosion is filling the dam with silt and is threatening its long term sustainability**

**Kingdom of Morocco**

**Notes:**
The Sustainability of Al Wahda Dam: Morocco
The second-largest dam in Africa and the largest in Morocco, Al Wahda Dam has a capacity of
9 714 million m3. Located in the Gharb Plain, the dam was built in 1996 to reduce devastating
flooding along the Ouergha River, provide water for irrigation, and generate hydroelectricity. Since completion of the dam, fl ooding has decreased by 90 per cent, potential irrigation has increased by about 110 000 ha, and hydroelectricity production has reached approximately 400 Gwh per year. The electricity produced by the dam allows the Moroccan government to avoid burning 140 000 metric tonnes of fossil fuels per year, thereby reducing greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere.
However, natural and human-caused erosion is filling the dam with silt and threatens its long term
sustainability. It is estimated that the reservoir loses 60 million m3 of capacity each year to siltation. In addition,
these sediments trapped in the reservoir do not reach the coastal estuary, which has altered the balance of siltation
and erosion along the coast in favour of erosion. Another potential threat to the dam’s future viability is suggested
by climate and hydrological modeling, which predicts that a 1° Celsius increase in average air temperature between
2000 and 2020 might reduce runoff to the Al Wahda Dam by 10 per cent.

## Kingdom of Morocco

**Greenhouse Agriculture: Souss-Massa Valley**

**In the 1970’s greenhouse agriculture was introduced to the area**

**The 1988 satellite image shows a few greenhouses (light blue squares) scattered throughout the valley**

**The 2003 image shows the expansion that has occurred in greenhouse agriculture,**
**with greenhouses (white squares) covering a substantial portion of the valley’s agricultural land**

**Kingdom of Morocco**

**Notes:**
Greenhouse Agriculture: Souss-Massa Valley, Morocco
The Souss-Massa Valley is located in southwestern Morocco. Rainfall in the valley is only about
200 mm per year, which is not enough to support most types of agriculture. In 1968, Morocco’s
King initiated a plan to irrigate one million hectares. In 1972, the Youssef Ben Tachfi ne Dam
(left photo) was built on the Massa River, creating a reservoir that supported a substantial growth
in agriculture in the valley and allowed development of a modern agricultural area of 18 000
hectares, primarily dedicated to vegetable and citrus cultivation.
Irrigated agriculture in the valley also uses groundwater; however, groundwater withdrawal has exceeded the
natural rate of recharge. Since the 1970s groundwater resources have declined, forcing farmers to drill much
deeper wells to reach water.
In the 1970’s, greenhouse agriculture was introduced to the area. It requires 80 per cent less water per kg of
crop than unprotected agriculture. The 1988 satellite image shows a few greenhouses (light blue squares)
scattered throughout the valley. The 2003 image shows the expansion that has occurred in greenhouse agriculture,
with greenhouses (white squares) covering a substantial portion of the valley’s agricultural land.
The Souss-Massa Valley is Morocco’s leading region for greenhouse agriculture, covering 14 530 hectares in
2004. Vegetables are the primary crops, with tomatoes covering more than half the greenhouse area.

## Republic of Mozambique

**Republic of Mozambique**

**Facts and Figures**

**Total Surface Area: 801 590 km****2**
**Estimated Population in 2006: 20 158 000**

**Mozambique has roughly 5 000 km2 of mangroves along its coast, the most of any country along Africa’s Indian Ocean shoreline**

**Important Environmental Issues**
- • Water Access and Natural Disasters
- • Land Use
- • Protecting Wildlife and Forests

**5 087 865 reported malaria cases in Mozambique in 2003 **

## Republic of Mozambique

**Cahora Bassa Dam in Zambezi River**

**The 1972 image shows a 250-km stretch of the Zambezi River prior to the construction of the Cahora Bassa Dam**

**The 2006 image shows the current extent of the reservoir**

**Republic of Mozambique**

**Notes:**
Cahora Bassa Dam: Zambezi River, Mozambique
The Zambezi River drains an area of roughly 1.5 million km2 from Angola to Mozambique. In
1974, the Cahora Bassa Dam was completed about 300 km upstream from where the Zambezi
River empties into the Indian Ocean. The dam created Lake Cahora Bassa, the second largest
human-made lake in southern Africa. Prior to the dam’s construction, surrounding natural
ecosystems and traditional agriculture were shaped by annual fl oods.
As the dam neared completion, experts recommended that Lake Cahora Bassa be fi lled
slowly, over a period of at least two years. Furthermore, they recommended that a minimum flow be maintained, with extra releases to simulate natural fl ooding, and that the fi lling of the reservoir should not
begin until after the 1975 fl ooding season. These recommendations were not followed.
The 1972 image shows a 250-km stretch of the Zambezi River prior to the construction of the Cahora Bassa
Dam. The same stretch was fl ooded, in a single year, following the dam’s completion in 1974. In the ensuing
years, fl ooding of the lower Zambezi has been notoriously mistimed. These erratic water releases have negatively
impacted hundreds of thousands of downstream residents and decimated the ecosystem of the Zambezi River
delta. The 2006 image shows the current extent of the reservoir. Strategies to better manage Cahora Bassa Dam are
being explored in order to restore damaged ecosystems and some traditional land use.

## Republic of Mozambique

**Fire Scars in Beira**

**Especially large number of fires was recorded in August 2006**

**The 21 May 2006 satellite image was acquired at the beginning of the 2006 dry season, before many fires had left their mark**

**The 9 August 2006 image shows the same area roughly 2.5 months later - pink, dark red, and black fire scars cover much of the landscape**

**Republic of Mozambique**

**Notes:**
Fire Scars: Beira, Mozambique
During Mozambique’s dry season—May to October—fi res leave burn scars on the landscape.
Over one-third of the country is affected by fi re each year. NASA’s Earth Observatory recorded
an especially large number of fi res in August 2006. The widespread nature of the fi res suggests
that they may have been intentionally set. Population growth in Mozambique has drastically
intensifi ed the need for agricultural land as well as for forestry and wildlife products, thus
putting increased pressure on limited resources. Fires have become a primary means of clearing
land for cultivation.

## Republic of Namibia

**Republic of Namibia**

**Facts and Figures**

**Total Surface Area: 824 292 km****2**
**Estimated Population in 2006: 2 052 000**

**At 55 million years, Namib in Namibia is the world’s oldest desert**

**Important Environmental Issues**
-  Land Degradation and Desertification
-  Aridity and Water Scarcity
-  Threats to Biodiversity

**Length of Namibia’s ”Fish River” the largest canyon in Africa is 160 km**

## Republic of Namibia

**Kavango Region**

**The Kavango Region, located in Namibia’s relatively wet northeastern corner, is part of the 8% of the country that receives about 500 mm of rain per year—the minimum considered necessary for non-irrigated agriculture**

**These images, from 1973 and 2007, show the dramatic increase in the land area cleared for agriculture (light yellow patches) around Rundu and elsewhere along the river**

**Republic of Namibia**

**Notes:**
Kavango Region: Namibia
The Kavango Region, located in Namibia’s relatively wet northeastern corner, is part of the eight
per cent of the country that receives about 500 mm of rain per year—the minimum considered
necessary for non-irrigated agriculture. However, because this rainfall is irregular and evaporation
rates are high, it is often inadequate for successful farming. Many of the soils in this area, with low
nutrients or high salinity, are also marginal for farming. Nevertheless, roughly 55 per cent of the
region is used for subsistence agriculture with pearl millet being the predominant crop.
Savannah woodlands are the natural vegetation in the sandy soils surrounding Rundu, near the Okavango
River. Many of the woodlands along the river were cleared for agriculture long ago. More recently, government-dug
wells have enabled settlement and farming further from the river, leading to further deforestation, particularly in
the dry river beds (omurambas), where the soils are better for farming.
The Namibian government considers this area an important focus of economic activity and supports many
water and agricultural projects. Along with rapid development, the population of Rundu is growing at a staggering
pace—911 per cent between 1981 and 1991. These images, from 1973 and 2007, show the dramatic increase in the
land area cleared for agriculture (light yellow patches) around Rundu and elsewhere along the river.

## Republic of Namibia

**Walvis Bay Salt Production and Wetlands**

**Walvis Bay’s solar evaporation facilities process 24 million metric tonnes of seawater each year - producing more than 400 000 metric tonnes of high-quality salt**

**In 1973 the salt evaporation ponds were still relatively small (red and blue rectangles in the centre of the image)**

**Republic of Namibia**

**By 2005  they had grown to cover 3 500 hectares in the lagoon**

**Notes:**
Salt Production and Wetlands: Walvis Bay, Namibia
Walvis Bay is an economic and environmental hotspot in Namibia. It has been designated as a
free-trade area and placed on the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance. The
Walvis Bay lagoon, the largest area of shallow, sheltered water on the Namibian coast, supports
a wide range of birdlife. Walvis Bay’s tidal channels, mudfl ats, and sandbanks support roughly
150 000 birds, including the African black oystercatcher, lesser and greater fl amingo, chestnut
banded plover, and blacknecked grebe.
Walvis Bay’s solar evaporation facilities process 24 million metric tonnes of seawater each year, producing more
than 400 000 metric tonnes of high-quality salt. The solar evaporation process occurs in a series of connected
ponds through which seawater fl ows, evaporates, and deposits salt in crystallizing ponds. In 1973, the salt
evaporation ponds were still relatively small (red and blue rectangles in the centre of the image). By 2005, however,
they had grown to cover 3 500 hectares in the lagoon.
Most of the energy required to extract salt from seawater comes simply from sunlight and salt produced by
this method is 99.7 per cent pure. About one-third of worldwide salt production uses this method, which, when
properly managed, is very environmentally friendly.

## Republic of Niger

**Republic of Niger**

**Facts and Figures**

**Total Surface Area: 1 267 000** **km****2**
**Estimated Population in 2006: 14 426 000**

**Niger is one of the hottest countries in the world, with four-fifths of its territory lying in the Sahara desert**

**Important Environmental Issues**
- • Desertification and Deforestation
- • Threats to Wildlife
- • Environmental Consequences of Mining

**Percentage of Niger’s labour force employed**
**in agriculture 90%**

## Republic of Niger

**Forest Degradation in Baban Rafi Forest**

**Baban Rafi Forest is the most significant area of woodland in the Maradi Department**

**Republic of Niger**

**These satellite images show the loss of a significant fraction of the natural landscape (darker green areas) of Baban Rafi Forest to agriculture between 1976 and 2007**

**Notes:**
Forest Degradation: Baban Rafi Forest, Niger
Along the southern border of Niger in the Department of Maradi, population has increased by
roughly 400 per cent over the past 40 years. The area under agriculture in the department as a
whole grew by 26 per cent between 1975 and 1996. In the south of the district, this expansion
of population and agriculture has meant the loss of a large portion of the Baban Rafi Forest to
agriculture. The remaining woodlands are being degraded by overexploitation for fuelwood and
non-wood forest products.
Baban Rafi Forest is the most signifi cant area of woodland in the Maradi Department. Located at the southern
extreme of the Sahel, it has areas of both savannah and Sahelian vegetation. In the savannah areas, the balance of
trees, grasses, and shrubs varies. The wooded areas are dominated by just four species of trees—Guiera senegalensis,
Combretum micranthum, Combretum nigricans, and Acacia macrostachya—likely as a result of selective exploitation and
some combination of drought and disease.
These satellite images show the loss of a signifi cant fraction of the natural landscape (darker green areas) of
Baban Rafi Forest to agriculture between 1976 and 2007. The intensity of demand for agricultural land has also
led to near continuous use of farmland in the area, with shortened or no fallow period for it to recover fertility.
Continuing population growth will put further demands on this already dramatically changed landscape.

## Republic of Niger

**Revitalised Land: Tahoua Province**

**In recent decades, Niger’s climate and its demographic problems have negatively impacted its agricultural land by forcing agriculture onto land that had been historically used for livestock**

**Republic of Niger**

**Intense pressure on fragile lands led to acute environmental**
**degradation (1975 image)**

**A recent study revealed 10 to 20 times the number of trees across three of Niger’s southern provinces than there were in the 1970s (2005 image)**

**Notes:**
Revitalised Land: Tahoua Province, Niger
A band across the southern third of Niger receives enough rain (250-750 mm) to sustain most of
the country’s rain-fed agriculture and pastoralism. This stretch of semi-arid Sahel is also where
most of Niger’s rapidly growing population lives. However, the Sahelian climate is quite variable
and in this ecologically frail region this poses serious problems for traditional livelihoods.
In recent decades, Niger’s climate and its demographic problems have negatively impacted its
agricultural land by forcing agriculture onto land that had been historically used for livestock—land receiving less than 350 mm of rain per year. This intense pressure on fragile lands led to acute environmental
degradation (1975 image).
More recently, a combination of various projects and farmer initiatives has led to signifi cant revitalization of the
land in large part by the planting and protection of trees. Farmers no longer clear tree saplings from their fi elds
before planting crops. Instead they protect and nurture the trees, carefully plowing around them when sowing
millet, sorghum, peanuts, and beans. A recent study revealed 10 to 20 times the number of trees across three of
Niger’s southern provinces than there were in the 1970s (2005 image). This transformation of the land has reduced
drought vulnerability and will help people diversify their livelihoods so as not to rely solely on rain-fed crops.

## Federal Republic of Nigeria

**Federal Republic of Nigeria**

**Facts and Figures**

**Total Surface Area: 923 768 km****2**
**Estimated Population in 2006: 134 375 000**

**Nigeria is the largest producer of oil in Africa and the eleventh largest producer of oil in the world**

**Important Environmental Issues**
- • Desertification
- • Deforestation and Threats to Biodiversity
- • Oil Pollution

**Nigeria’s arable land as a proportion of the**
**total land area is 33%**

## Federal Republic of Nigeria

**Federal Republic of Nigeria**

**The Challawa Dam in Kano State, Nigeria, was built to control flooding caused by seasonal and variable rainfall and to support irrigation**

**The Challawa Dam has tamed highly seasonal downstream flooding at the expense of the Hadejia-Nguru**
**wetlands**

**Impacts of Challawa Dam**

**Notes:**
Impacts of Challawa Dam: Nigeria
The Challawa Dam in Kano State, Nigeria, was built to control fl ooding caused by seasonal and
variable rainfall and to support irrigation. It also supplies water to Kano, Nigeria’s third-largest
city with a population of seven million. The Challawa River feeds into the Hadejia River, which
then fl ows into the Hadejia-Nguru wetlands. Local rainfall peaks in August, with a subsequent dry
season lasting from November to April. This rainfall pattern makes water levels in the Hadejia-
Nguru wetlands highly seasonal.
The Challawa Dam has tamed highly seasonal downstream fl ooding at the expense of the Hadejia-Nguru
wetlands. The combined effect of drought and the dam reduced the extent of seasonally fl ooded land from 300
000 hectares in the 1960s to between 70 000 and 100 000 hectares in recent years. Such severe reduction of the
annual fl ooding extent has put the wetlands at risk and reduced the economic and environmental benefi ts they
provide, including agriculture, cattle, fuelwood, fi sh, shallow aquifer recharge, and habitat for migratory and local
bird species.
The economic impact of the Challawa Dam (and the Tiga Dam further upstream) has also been negative,
eventually incurring millions of dollars more in losses than were yielded in benefi ts. In addition, while fl ood
control was among the intended benefi ts of the dam, heavy rains often cause serious fl ooding above the dam.

## Federal Republic of Nigeria

**Federal Republic of Nigeria**

**Currently, about 66 gas fields and over 500 oil wells are located in the delta area**

**The 1984 image shows the delta 20 years after oil operations began in the early 1960s**

**Oil Development in the Niger River Delta**

**The 2003 image shows**
**concentrations of oil wells (small yellow arrows), pipelines connecting them and storage facilities (large yellow arrow)**

**Between 1976 and 1996 there**
**were more than 4 640 oil spills totaling three million barrels of oil**

**Notes:**
Oil Development: Niger River Delta, Nigeria
The Niger River Delta spans the coast of Nigeria from the Benin River in the west to the Imo
River in the east. The delta supports the world’s third-largest mangrove forest, and is home to
over 150 species of fi sh, West African manatees, hippopotamuses, spot-necked swamp otters, and
rare pygmy hippos.
Since the discovery of oil in the delta in the 1950s, the promise of improved lives through
a share of the oil wealth has eluded area residents. Instead, they have found their traditional
livelihoods increasingly undermined by environmental degradation.
The 1984 image shows the delta 20 years after oil operations began in the early 1960s. The 2003 image shows
concentrations of oil wells (small yellow arrows) as well as pipelines connecting them. Also visible are a large
storage facility, liquifi ed natural gas plant and terminal station on Bonny Island in the lower right corner of the
image (large yellow arrow).
Currently, about 66 gas fi elds and over 500 oil wells are located in the delta area. Between 1976 and 1996 there
were more than 4 640 oil spills totalling three million barrels of oil. In addition, between 70 and 90 per cent of the
natural gas from these oil fi elds is fl ared (burned as waste), releasing massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere, causing local air pollution and acid rain, and wasting roughly US$300 million per day worth of energy.

## Republic of Rwanda

**Republic of Rwanda**

**Facts and Figures**

**Total Surface Area: 26 338 km****2**
**Estimated Population in 2006: 9 230 000**

**Rwanda’s Nyungwe National Park is the largest block of montane forest in East and Central Africa, and among the largest on the continent.**

**Important Environmental Issues**
- • Population Pressure on Land
- • Soil Erosion and Sedimentation
- • Deforestation and Threats to Biodiversity

**In 2007, Rwanda had the highest population density in mainland Africa at 394 people per km****2**

## Republic of Rwanda

**Fire Scars: Akagera National Park**

**Fire is common in the savannah portions of the park**

**Images from July 1980 and June 1984 show the area surrounding Akagera National Park with large fire scars (dark**
**purple patches)**

**1999 image shows the regional during rainy seasons when fires occur infrequently**

**Republic of Rwanda**

**In contrast 2004 images has fire scars as fires that year burned nearly one-third of the park**

**Notes:**
Fire Scars: Akagera National Park, Rwanda
Akagera National Park in northeastern Rwanda is considered to be among the most complex
savannah ecosystems in eastern Africa. Across its landscape are areas of tangled acacia trees
interspersed with patches of open grassland, patches of gallery forest in the north, and wetlands
and lakes along the course of the Akagera River.
Fire is common in the savannah portions of the park. Fire tends to maintain the savannah’s
vegetation structure, composition, nutrient cycling, and distribution. Satellite images from July 1980, June 1984, and July 2004 show the area surrounding Akagera National Park with large fi re scars (dark
purple patches). In 1980, fi res left a scar 35 km wide and well over 100 km long. In 2004, fi res burned nearly
one-third of the park; they are believed to have been set by poachers. In contrast to these dry season images,
the December 1999 image shows the region during the rainy season, when fi res occur infrequently.
The size of Akagera National Park was reduced by approximately two-thirds in 1997 to allow for the
resettlement of large numbers of refugees. Heavy grazing pressure, agricultural encroachment, charcoal
production, the felling of trees for fuelwood and construction, and deliberately set fi res have seriously
fragmented the ecosystem. Wildlife populations are now concentrated in scattered enclaves.

## Republic of Rwanda

**Dramatic Deforestation: Gishwati Forest**

**The 1978 satellite image**
**shows the Gishwati Forest Reserve as a dark-green carpet of dense forest nearly covering the entire protected area**

**The 2006 image shows that most of the forest has been cleared**

**Only a fraction of the forest that was intact in 1978 remains (in degraded condition)**

**Republic of Rwanda**

**Notes:**
Dramatic Deforestation: Gishwati Forest, Rwanda
Gishwati Forest Reserve in northwestern Rwanda is one of the most severely deforested areas
in the country. Exploitation of the forests for commercial products such as charcoal, timber,
medicine, and food has been the main driver of this deforestation. The 1978 satellite image
shows the Gishwati Forest Reserve as a dark-green carpet of dense forest nearly covering the
entire protected area. The 2006 image shows that most of the forest has been cleared; the dark-green areas have been replaced by patches of pink and light green where the vegetation has been largely
removed. Only a fraction of the forest that was intact in 1978 remains; what is left is in degraded condition.
On a positive note, reforestation efforts in parts of the region, using agroforestry techniques such as radical
terracing, progressive terracing, and live mulches, are currently being researched and implemented. Seedlings of
species such as Calliandra calothyrsus and Leucaena diversifolia are being planted in several provinces of the country
with collaboration from stakeholders and the local community. If such efforts continue and are successful, the
Gishwati Forest Reserve may experience considerable regeneration within the next fi ve to ten years.