Thirty six local leaders from Huye and Gisagara districts have received training on how to use technological tools for effective environmental planning and management.

The training, that also covered the relationship between environment and development, was held in Huye town on Thursday and Friday last week.

They were trained on how to generate environmental data and producing maps using GPS (Global Positioning System) and GIS (Geographical Information System).

Those trained include agronomists, educationists, environmentalists and infrastructure officials at sector and district levels.

The training was conducted by Rwanda Environmental Conservation Organisation (Recor) in partnership with Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) based in USA and the University of Rwanda’s Centre for Geographic Information and Remote Sensing (URCGIS).

"We have been using rudimentary tools like ropes to measure people’s farms. The new technology will help us save time and be more accurate,” said Etienne Ndindiriyimana, in charge of agriculture in Ndora Sector, Gisagara District.

René Aimable Nsengiyumva, the chief agronomist of Huye District, said the training helped them know the state of environment and how to ensure sustainability.

"By using ICT to generate data, we get to know how to protect the environment and know its trend through generated maps over a period of time,” he said.

Speaking during the closure of the training, Jean Chrisostome Sehene, the executive secretary of Recor, said there was lack of data on the state of environment for instance the number of marshlands in the country and the amount of natural resources available.

He said technological tools make it easier for people to identify critical issues in their environment and devise solutions to ensure environmental sustainability.

The project started in 2013 and has so far benefited 60 teachers and 400 students from two secondary schools; Groupe Scolaire Officiel de Butare and Groupe Scolaire Saint Philippe Neri de Gisagara.

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