The Ministry of Natural Resources has unveiled a new monitoring system to cut greenhouse gas emissions caused by deforestation.

The greenhouse gas monitoring and reporting scheme which was unveiled today in Kigali  is a reflection of Rwanda’s commitment to protect its forests and encourage sustainable management.

Adrie Mukashema, the deputy director-general in the Ministry of Natural Resources in charge of forests said, "Even though we have little, we make sure that what we have is sustainably managed.”

Rwanda has 700,000 hectares of forest covering 28.8 per cent of land in the country. In 2005, 23 per cent of Rwanda was covered by forest.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UFCCC) members asked countries wishing to make a commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emission to create their own system for measuring, monitoring and reporting emissions in their country.

Rwanda is one of 10 Central African countries that received funding worth $400,000, from the Congo Basin Forest Fund to develop a reporting system. The ministry has been working on the reporting system since last May and it will be sent to the UN for approval this month.