Harnessing Technology (digital inclusive strategies) to Support Climate Change Resilience and Environment Sustainability in Rwanda

Peter Musonsa Kayula

Funding Area: Critical shared infrastructure / Infraestructura compartida critica

Problem Statement: As always is the case, after Rwanda passed through the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, nature became a victim of this conflict, therefore all efforts aimed at bringing together Rwanda’s divided communities to foster cooperation and promote shared, sustainable resource management, arguably lay a strong foundation for lasting peace and natural resource governance. Further, for many years, Rwandan society was inherently linked to habits, customs, taboos, values, arts, crafts, music, dance and cultural traditions, which were exemplarily used for natural resource exploitation, ecosystems and natural resource management. Using evidence and open-source gathering of information, (data, facts, and statistics) regarding these traditional linkages and knowledge sharing processes and their evaluation (findings) will provide useful entry points for development and implementation of technology strategies to address environment conservation in Rwanda. Therefore, this project seeks to help Rwanda address problems arising from a disconnected natural resource management after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The project uses research to develop and implement technology strategies that will support environment sustainability and climate change resilience.

Proposed Activities: Phase 1: Planning, and raising awareness of the project objectives (TimeLine: Three months – November to January 2023-2024) a) Establishing working communication channels, develop communication materials which explore how communities in Rwanda should understand and how they could address conservation (including land restoration) in the context of technology (digital inclusion strategies). Arrange planning meetings and operations meetings frequency and protocol b) Establishing roadmap for research work, creating scope for sharing of information and opportunities, as well as working group members’ strengths, to creating operational synergies. While local-level processes that can provide useful entry points for addressing natural resource governance. Phase 2: Integrating digital inclusive strategies into current climate change resilience and environmental sustainability actions (Timeline: one-year – January to December 2024) a) Gathering information, data, facts, statistics regarding current climate change resilience, environmental/biodiversity sustainability and land use practices aimed at maintaining long-term environmental integrity. b) Creation of concepts that look at the existing environment and biodiversity problems from new perspectives, including arrangement for multi-stakeholder networks and platforms aimed at enhancing linkages between nature-based conservation solutions with high -level research, technology. Phase 3: Partner Outreach (Timeline: Six months – January 2025 to June 2025) a) Partnering with various institutions which uses much of internet intelligence produced by collecting, evaluating and analyzing publicly available information to provide the project with an extensive opportunity for sharing learning experience and field case studies. b) Partnering with NGOs, CBOs (community-based organizations), CSOs (civil society organizations), researchers, educators and journalists, collectively called ‘non-state actors’, who play an important role in climate resilience and environment policy processes. Phase 4: Project Monitoring and Evaluation (Time line: Three months -June 2025 to November 2025) Project monitoring and evaluation will be a continuous process that is critical for successful implementation and achievement of anticipated objectives as well as tracking activities against an implementation plan. Monitoring will be vital for informed decision making and taking corrective actions during implementation and tracking accountability. Evaluation on the other hand will be used in determining relevance, efficiency, effectiveness and project impacts.

Openness: Improving natural resource governance contributes to the conservation of nature by ensuring its social equity, effectiveness and sustainability (Springer, Campese &Nakangu, 2021). Further, this project explores opportunities for “norms, institutions and processes that determine how power and responsibilities over natural resources are exercised, how decisions are taken, and how citizens – including women, men, youth, indigenous people and local communities – effectively participate in, and benefit from, the management of natural resources” (IUCN,2021:31). The women, men, youth, indigenous people can use their detailed social, political and cultural understanding of the local context as well as their vast network and access to partner with organisations in carrying out restoration activities, this includes, attention to sustainable land-use systems are which are “productive strategies that ingrate soils, water, animals and plants to support livelihoods while respecting the preferences of local farmers, ensuring long-term productive potential of resources and maintaining those resources environmental functions (Morales Munoz et al,2021) This project will play an important role in contributing to better natural resources governance by bringing together divided communities to promote shared, sustainable resource governance.

Challenges: a) Implications of new tools (digital inclusive strategies ) challenging traditional linkages and knowledge sharing processes which for many years have provided useful entry points for addressing natural resource governance in Rwanda. b) It is also envisioned that communities in Rwanda may not recognize and appreciated digital strategies new tools provided by the project which may erode opportunities for Climate Change resilience and sustainable environment management in Rwanda. c) Deeply embedded technology strategies into current ecological conservation programme might work out negatively for anticipated revived biophysical environment and strengthened community’s climate change resilience in Rwanda. d) Broadened perspectives, and preconceptions of technology solutions may not shift communities in Rwanda’s attention to traditional linkages and knowledge sharing processes which provide useful entry points for addressing natural resource governance and this can still disturb climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Neglectedness: On July 20, 2023 the Global Initiative for Environment and Reconciliation (GER-Rwanda) is a community-based Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) applied for funding for the same project from the Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate through its research and Development of Biodiversity Solutions three year programme. The outcome will be communicated to the Rwanda based NGO in September.

Success: Communities in Rwanda adopt and benefit from local-level technology (digital inclusion strategies) leading to productive strategies that ingrate soils, water, animals and plants to support livelihoods while respecting the preferences of local farmers, ensuring long-term productive potential of resources and maintaining those resources environmental functions. Seized different opportunities to connect technology with conservation and climate change resilience activities leading to strengthened natural resource governance and improved natural resource management at national and local levels. Broad spectrum of actions (as a result of digital inclusive strategies) taken to manage the supply, access to and use of natural resources and actors are able to make decisions and actions implemented through decisions. Gathering information, data, facts, and statistics become input for the development of more projects regarding current environmental/biodiversity sustainability and land use and benefit local people in Rwanda.

Total Budget: $97,939

Affiliations: In carrying out this project, Global Initiative for Environment and Reconciliation (GER-Rwanda) will partner with Trinity University, a Zambian private Christian institution offering a variety of programmes at diploma, under -graduate, and post-graduate levels. The university values collaboration, coordination and collective action in driving bold and ambitious actions to contribute towards sustainable development. Trinity University is also committed to restoring the intellectual collection, evaluation and analyzing of publicly available information with the purpose of answering a specific intelligence question which is now completely lacking in Africa. Through its new programme called Programme on Governance, Environmental and Climate Change Action, the university will provide technical input, project leadership and guide in planning for any project oversight. The partnership of Trinity University based in Zambia and Ger-Rwanda also provides an opportunity for large scale replication of the same project in Zambia, another Southern African country.

LMIE Carveout: This project will play an important role in contributing to better natural resources governance by bringing together divided communities to promote shared, sustainable resource governance. The diversity of the local communities in Rwanda who will benefit from the project is that, there are more women than men. The activities been proposed will ensure social and gender inclusions with as many diverse participants as possible. The project will encompass the following districts in Rwanda: Gasabo, Bugesera, Musanze and Ruhango. Others are Kayonza, Rubavu, Rwamagana and Nyaruguru.

Team Skills: Global Initiative for Environment and Reconciliation (GER-Rwanda) is a community-based Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) legally registered in Rwanda in 2015 under certificate registration number 55/RGB/NGO/LP/07/19. GER embraces a holistic intervention approach that encompasses social, cultural, ecological and economic dimensions. It operates in partnership and collaboration with national institutions and international organisations. At national level, GER’s partners are the Ministry of Natural Resources (MINIRENA), Ministry of Education (MINEDUC), Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) and the Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC).African Biodiversity Network and Community Force for Change (CFOR), among others. In carrying out this project, Global Initiative for Environment and Reconciliation (GER-Rwanda) will partner with Trinity University, a Zambian private Christian institution offering a variety of programmes at diploma, under -graduate, and post-graduate levels. The university will provide technical input, project leadership and guide in planning for any project oversight. The partnership of Trinity University based in Zambia and Ger-Rwanda also provides an opportunity for large scale replication of the same project in Zambia, another Southern African country.

Submission Number: 55