The world has recorded an average 69 per cent decline in global wildlife populations between 1970 and 2018, a new report has revealed.

‘The Living Planet report 2022’ was produced by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) – an independent international conservation organisation.

The index is released ahead of the long-awaited 15th conference of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) in Montreal, Canada which Rwanda will also attend in December 2022 to agree on a new Global Framework for Biodiversity.

According to the report, one million plants and animals are threatened with extinction showing that some birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and fish have already gone extinct as they lose their habitats.

Freshwater species populations (mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish) have seen the greatest overall global decline of 83 per cent since 1970, according to the report.

Fresh water is found in glaciers, lakes, reservoirs, ponds, rivers, streams, wetlands, and even groundwater.

The index indicates that fish that live in freshwater habitats declined by 76 per cent between 1970 and 2016.

The global abundance of oceanic sharks (long-bodied chiefly marine fish species) and rays (cartilaginous fishes) has declined by 71 per cent over the last 50 years, due primarily to an 18-fold increase in fishing pressure since 1970.

The researchers did the analysis using IUCN Red List which mapped six key threats to biodiversity namely agriculture, hunting, logging, pollution, invasive species, and climate change destroying natural habitats of many plant and animal species on land, in freshwater, and in the sea.

It warns that if the world is unable to limit global warming to 1.5°C, climate change is likely to become the dominant cause of biodiversity loss in the coming decades.

Latin America shows the greatest regional decline in average population abundance (94 per cent), while freshwater species populations have seen the greatest overall global decline (83 per cent) according to the report.

It highlights that the Amazon Forest in Latin America lost 17 per cent of the original extent of the forest and an additional 17 per cent has been degraded.

While forests sequestrate large quantities of carbon emissions and provide rains, the world is losing roughly 10 million hectares of forests – an area about the size of Portugal every year, reads part of the report.

The loss of forests, the report warns, could result in more droughts, and fires, reducing rainfall.

Reversing the trend in Rwanda

Statistics from Rwanda Forestry Authority show that between 1960 and 2007, forests, in general, declined considerably by about 64 per cent due to different anthropogenic activities and the resettlement of refugees.

Spridio Nshimiyimana, the acting Director General of Rwanda Forestry Authority, said 45.27 per cent of natural forests had been degraded and lost by 2015.

The natural forests, which lost an average of 45 per cent of their forest cover between 1960 and 2015, include Buhanda Natural Forest (98 per cent loss), Gishwati Natural Forest (93 per cent loss), Mashyuza Natural Forest ( 92 per cent loss), Ibanda-Makera Natural Forest (88 per cent loss), Karama Natural Forest (67 per cent loss), Dutake Natural Forest (65 per cent loss), Karehe-Gatuntu Natural Forest Complex ( 60 per cent loss), Nyagasenyi Natural Forest (58 per cent loss), Akagera National Park ( 58 per cent loss), Mukura Natural Forest (54 per cent loss), Sanza Natural Forest (51 per cent loss), Mashoza Natural Forest ( 51 per cent loss) and Muvumba Natural Forest ( 46 per cent loss).

They also include Ndoha Natural Forest (26 per cent loss), Kibirizi-Muyira Natural Forest (22 percent loss), Busaga Natural Forest (16 per cent loss), Nyungwe National Park (10 per cent loss) and Volcanoes National Park (10%).

Different species of wildlife used to be in Kibirizi-Muyira Natural Forest but only a few of them have survived human encroachment according to witnesses such as Isaac Ngango, a resident of Muyira sector in Nyanza district.

Charcoal production, hunting, illegal logging, cultivation among others have triggered huge losses in biodiversity richness.

"The forest was there during the kingdom. We used to see different animals such as antelopes, gazelles, duikers, leopards and panthers among many others but due to hunting, the species are no longer there,” he said.

He said that currently the only animals seen in the forest include birds, monkeys, and rabbits among others.

Today, the government is restoring the Kibirizi-Muyira forest.

Also, currently a local NGO is calling for protecting Busaga forest in Muhanga district because all hooded vultures (locally known as Inkongoro) across the country reproduce from this forest before spreading to other parts.

The natural forest once occupied 300 hectares of land but has been reduced to less than 150 hectares due to agriculture, wood exploitation and settlement.

Other activities that have led to the near extinction of this forest include illegal hunting, clay mining, and logging, which have also decimated wildlife.

"If the forest is degraded, it could lead to the total extinction of vultures in Rwanda,” said Jean Claude Dusabimana, the Executive Director of Nature Rwanda.

Rwanda committed to restoring degraded and deforested landscapes by 2030.

As of 2021, over 900,000 hectares were being restored. That translates to 45 per cent of the two million hectares of degraded forests and landscapes.

At least $652 million had been invested in forest landscape restoration programmes

Countrywide forest cover is currently 30.4 per cent.

According to the survey dubbed "Wetlands Biodiversity and Ecological Integrity Assessment,” conducted by Albertine Rift Conservation Society (ARCOS Network) Rwanda’s wetlands and their biodiversity lost over 40 per cent of their quality due to encroachment.

The assessment found that at least eight bird species, three mammals, two fish species, one amphibian, and two reptiles were endangered or threatened due to wetlands encroachment that led them to lose ecological integrity or quality.

Currently, the government is striving to rehabilitate the wetlands.

Wetlands recommended for rehabilitation are on 15 Square Kilometres which is 20 per cent, wetlands recommended for sustainable utilisation make 29 per cent, wetlands for conservation make 38 per cent, and the rest are recommended for recreation.

Over 7,000 activities have been evicted from Kigali city wetlands.

Rwanda’s general performance toward biodiversity conservation targets

Rwanda made remarkable achievements in biodiversity conservation from 2016 to 2020, according to the 6th report on the status of implementing the ‘Biological Diversity Convention’ by the government of Rwanda.

Rwanda has diverse habitats and ecosystems that range from humid montane forests to savannahs, lakes, rivers, and wetlands which support a wide range of biodiversity that have to be protected.

Out of 19 national targets that were set to protect and conserve biodiversity and ecosystems from 2016 to 2020, one target was on track to be exceeded, 12 targets were on track to be achieved and six targets showed progress but at an insufficient rate.

These include the conservation of gorillas, Grey-crowned cranes which had drastically declined in size, restoring and protecting of national parks and other natural forests, wetlands, increasing forest cover, re-introduction of native fish populations, agro-forestry, reintroduction of lions and black rhinos into Akagera national park, restoration of Gishwati-Mukura Forest, among other protected areas.