The Minister for Environment, Vincent Biruta, has announced that Rwanda has reached its 30 percent forest cover goal.

That was revealed during the Backward Looking Sector Review that reviews the progress against various objects and discusses plans for improvement and priorities for the year ahead.

"During the 2018/19 fiscal year, the environment and natural resources sector has achieved a lot thanks to the collaborative efforts from all stakeholders. I wish to commend the progress made, including reaching 30 percent forest coverage through afforestation and reforestation,” he said.

This goal was a key objective of the Vision 2020.

"We can be proud of the achievement,” he said.

With joint efforts under the Bonn Challenge, Rwanda has pledged to restore two million hectares of land by 2020.

Minister for Environment, Dr Vincent Biruta says the government has pledged to restore two million hectares of land by 2020. / File

The Challenge is a global effort to bring 150 million hectares of the world's deforested and degraded land into restoration by 2020, and 350 million hectares by 2030.

Studies show that, between 1990 and 2010, Rwanda lost 37 percent of its forest cover due to forest degradation.

"We have rehabilitated degraded areas to protect our watershed and I am pleased to report that more than 3,000 hectares have been rehabilitated in the Nyabugogo, Muvumba, Sebeya ad Upper Nyabarongo catchments,” he said.

"Private sector involvement in public forest management has also increased. Thirty percent of public forests are now managed by private operators and we will continue to work with relevant stakeholders to increase this to 80 percent by 2024,” he said.

Forest plantations make 67 percent of all forest cover across the country while state-owned forests make up 27 percent while the rest is owned by districts, private institutions with 2 percent and 3 percent respectively.

State-owned forests occupy 65,000 hectares without considering national parks.

In a bid to strengthen policy and regulatory framework, Biruta said the ministry has developed a range of new national policies and strategies including forestry, environment and climate change, land as well as National Cooling Strategy.

The government has has embarked on a new approach to boost productivity of private forest as well as fostering their sustainable management.

The new model was dubbed "Private Forest Management Units –PFMU whereby consolidated small woodlots are managed by cooperatives.

Private Forest Management Units have been formed through eight model cooperatives of private smallholder forests which have restored 276 hectares of forests in the districts of GakenkeGicumbi, Rulindo and Rwamagana as a pilot phase.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com