Rugezi wetland in Burera District has registered an increase in grey-crowned crane population following its restoration, The New Times has learnt.

According to district authorities, the crane population increased from 80 to 273 in 2023 following various national initiatives against people who would capture and keep them domestically.

The growth of the endangered bird species is also seen on the national level as Olivier Nsengimana, Executive Director of Rwanda Wildlife Association, assures that it’s a result of more efforts put into the conservation of the environment.

Currently, the 6,736 ha of Rugezi wetland is Rwanda’s sole Ramsar site— a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention—and is one of the country’s 35 swamplands that the government earmarked to be fully protected.

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Nsengimana said: "The increase is a result of more efforts put in conservation of the environment and notably collaboration between government, stakeholders, and Rwandans at large. Again, a lot of efforts to decrease poaching have allowed the crane population to freely breed from their favourable nature.”

As of 2023, the country had an estimated 1,216 grey-crowned cranes, Nsengimana told The New Times.

Despite Burera District recording an increased number of crowned cranes, more efforts are still needed to tackle current challenges that impede the tourism sector.

Residents such as Anne Marie Uwizeye view the Rugezi wetland as a significant tourism site that has the potential to boost the region’s economy by attracting tourists interested in bird watching.

"Having Rugezi wetland is unique for our district, contributing to its booming development alongside other significant infrastructures,” Uwizeye said.

Speaking to The New Times, the Mayor of Burera, Soline Mukamana, highlighted that insufficient infrastructure development, limited investment, and a constrained district budget have hindered the growth of key tourism sites in the region, including Volcano National Park, the Ruhondo and Burera twin lakes, and the attraction of investors.

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Currently, she said, the district "is seeking to market tourism features that are present in Burera and ease investment, as well as improve infrastructures.”

About Rugezi wetland

The Rugezi wetland is located in a flooded valley near Rwanda’s northern border with Uganda. It feeds the Burera and Ruhondo twin lakes and is a Ramsar site for its unique ecosystem which covers part of an important bird area.

It hosts endangered species including Grauer’s swamp warbler (Bradypterus graueri) and the grey crowned cranes and threatened birds including the papyrus yellow warbler.

Despite contributing to the ecosystems, Rugezi is very significant to the national economy as it enables downstream hydroelectric power generation.

Its successful restoration of the wetland has gained international recognition including a Green Globe Award in 2010 following government measures that were put in place to avoid further agricultural activities that were causing water levels to fall, becoming a critical threat to both nature and the economic sector.