The Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration (GVTC) Secretariat has acquired a grant to implement the Transboundary Ecosystem Management of the Greater Virunga Landscape for Sustainable Development (TEMS) Project through a partnership agreement signed by the Secretariat with the European Union Delegation (EUD) in Kigali, Rwanda.
This one-year project aims to strengthen transboundary collaboration and coordination among Rwanda, Uganda, and the DRC to promote effective natural resource management within the Greater Virunga Landscape.
the EUD-TEMS Project, has the following objectives:
- Reducing transboundary human- wildlife conflict in Kyanika, the area bordering Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda and local communities in Rwanda.
- Establishing functional trails to support transboundary tourism on the Sabinyo Mountains, specifically on the Rwanda and Uganda sides. 7 km on the Ugandan side and 12 km on the Rwandan side. There is a demand for this tourism product. In Uganda, the trail exists but needs some rehabilitation work, while in Rwanda, it is a new trail.
- Improving governance and effective management of transboundary natural resources, particularly in the Sarambwe Wildlife Reserve in the DRC and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda.
In this regard, GVTC has requested the stakeholders on this project, namely RDB of Rwanda and UWA of Uganda to nominate their focal persons in order to coordinate and speed up the implementation of this important project. UWA has nominated Mr. Nelson Guma, the Chief Warden of Bwindi Mgahinga Conservation Area while RDB has nominated Mr. Jean Aimé Sibomana, the Experience Development Analyst.
The inception meetings in Rwanda and Uganda sides have proved that this project is very important, though it does not have enough resources to cover the needs on the ground. three of the key outputs of this project will be to have functional trails on Sabyinyo Volcano, 12 km on the Rwandan side and 7 km on the Ugandan side, the ultimate goal being to connect these trails and have a transboundary tourism product where tourists will be able to start their experience from Uganda and finish it in Rwanda and vice-versa. This will require further discussions at the country level to agree on operational modalities. Another output is to solve the human wildlife conflict issue between the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park of Uganda and the Communities of Rwanda in Cyanika, as well as to solve the problem of the overgrowth of the vegetation of the reaffirmed international border between DRC and Uganda at the level of Bwindi and Sarambwe wildlife reserve.
Stakeholders involved in the EUD-TEMS project have expressed their wishes to see more trails on different volcanoes, which implies more funding to meet the needs on the ground.
They all appreciated the EU Delegation to Rwanda's support for Transboundary collaboration for biodiversity conservation and tourism Development for the benefit of the people of this region and committed themselves to fast-tracking the implementation of this project within the given timeline.
Juvenal Mukeshimana
GVTC Program Assistant
