The City of Kigali is focusing on homes, recreational zones, gardens, roadsides, areas with degraded forests among other urban areas as it targets to plant three million trees in a five-year campaign dubbed "My Tree”.

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Kigali City spokesperson, Emma Claudine Ntirenganya, told The New Times that the plan aims to not only increase the city&039;s green cover but also contribute to sustainable urban development and climate resilience in Rwanda.

"We intend to plant over three million trees in the next five years in urban areas such as roadsides, gardens, and homes, recreational areas to promote leisure and community interaction, rehabilitation of existing forests to restore biodiversity and ecosystem health,” she explained.

She further added that by integrating tree planting into various urban settings, the initiative will enhance the aesthetic appeal of Kigali while addressing environmental challenges.

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"The City of Kigali encourages all residents to take advantage of this rainy season by planting trees wherever possible. Special attention will be given to roadside gardens, newly developing areas, and sites currently under development. Additionally, residents are encouraged to participate in rehabilitating existing forests, and planting trees and gardens at home,” she noted.

Residents interested in planting trees, she said, can visit district offices to be directed to nearby nurseries, where seedlings are available from Rwf500.

Tree seedlings can be found in Giticyinyoni and Nyarufunzo in Nyarugenge District, Niboye and Nyarugunga in Kicukiro and Kinyinya, Nduba, and Rugende in Gasabo.

The city has also encouraged every individual in the City of Kigali to plant trees which are accessible from tree nurseries located in areas such as Kibagaba (an area known as ku Mavaze), Kajeke wetland located in Niboye, Gatunga in Nduba Sector.

Indigenous, fruit trees prioritised

Ntirenganya said the city is mainly prioritising indigenous tree species as it is also a national priority.

The country is promoting both native and exotic tree species.

"We also want people to consider planting fruit trees that can in the end generate income but also contribute to a balanced diet.”

Landowners have been strongly encouraged to conserve the existing trees on their properties.

"For those with undeveloped plots, we recommend planting trees and creating beautiful gardens to help keep Kigali green and support environmental sustainability,” she said.

The city’s "My Tree” campaign supports Rwanda’s national goal of two (2) million hectares of forest by 2030, contributing to a greener and healthier country.

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Ntirenganya said the forest cover in Kigali city is estimated at 12,641 hectares corresponding to 17% of the total city land area.

The forest cover map shows that Nyarugenge is proportionally forested with 2,836 ha of forest cover (21% of the total district land), followed by Gasabo District with 8,381 ha covering 20% of the total district land area while Kicukiro is the least forested with only 9% forest cover.

According to a map by the ministry of environment, in the City of Kigali, forests are continuously decreasing because of the city expansion which requires consistent tree planting in various zones.

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From 2009 to 2019, afforestation was 26.4% while deforestation was at 23.0% meaning that 2.6% of forest cover was added every year while 2.3% is removed every year.

The map indicates that "the annual increase of forest cover in Kigali City is therefore only 0.3% from 2009.”

Kigali has about 2,020 hectares of degraded forest plantations which need a reforestation plan, and for public forests, it is recommended to use native species while replacing degraded eucalyptus in protective forests and buffers.

The city master plan shows areas designated for protected areas, high-risk zones, water and wetland buffers, urban parks and recreation sites where broad-leaved trees shall be planted to improve forests and trees in Kigali city and prevent water erosion and flooding.

Besides protecting the city against climatic hazards, forests and trees play a key role in cooling, mitigating temperature rises from transport and home emissions, and encouraging the population to be healthy and active, the ministry explained.

Effective management of these forests will include reforestation of the Kigali ridge tops to stabilize soil and reduce erosion, afforestation of road network buffers, and the establishment of urban parks in all sites identified by the city master plan.

According to the city master plan, the forest zone is designated for 87.7 square kilometers, or 12% of the city’s land area.