CC DARE Adaptation Stimulus Works!

Rwanda Government allocates 25 million USD for operationalizing the Land Suitability and Land Use Map Plan revised by CC DARE in Rwanda for managing the relocation of human settlements from high risk zones

Rwanda is one of eleven countries under the CC DARE Programme jointly implemented by UNEP and UNDP using funds from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. The rolling terrain of Rwanda particularly when cleared of its vegetation cover, exacerbate the risks of extreme climate events such as landslide, gully erosions etc especially under torrential rainfall triggering earth movements. The consequences on human life and property could be devastating especially where human settlement and activities are wrongly situated on the sloppy land predominantly characterising the landscape of the country. In an effort to speed up the integration of climate risk consideration into policy and national planning to curb vulnerability to climate impacts, CC DARE provided timely-targeted support to two nationally driven projects on: a) Enhancing Capacity Building and Raising Awareness on Climate Change for a Sensitive Community in Rwanda; and b) Adaptating to Climate Change through Land and Biodiversity Conservation. These two projects swiftly and timely implemented over six months period have paved the way to bigger actions by guiding Grand National implementation using national funds; one of rare cases for adaptation investment outside of multi-lateral or bilateral funding.

The output of this project in the improvement of the Land Suitability and Land Use Map Plan stretches Rwanda’s opportunities for the establishment of new carbon sinks and potential participation in the global carbon trade besides addressing adaptation and land degradation. Local government implementation of the relocation of communities to lower and safe grounds supported by national budgetary allocation represents the type of devolution of power and partnership that is required to fastrack the implementation of adaptation but keeping the actions within national development programmes.

The updating of the old Land Suitability and Land Use Map and Plan of the Gishwati has proven to be very effective tool in providing a useful guide to the Local Government Authorities of the Nyambihu District to manage human settlements and the rehabilitation of the natural ecosystems of the area.

The flexibility with the implemented actions of CC DARE that targeted specific barriers allowed for a quick turnover and generated the catalytic effect for larger intervening actions by attracting national government interest. The availability of an updated Land Suitability and Land Use Map and Plan for the Gishwati Area of Nyabihu District has provided the opportunity for the Ministry of Agriculture of Rwanda to access 25 Million USD for its implementation. Furthermore, the output of these projects are also helping Rwanda in sourcing other funds such as 15.9 million USD from the Least Developed Country Fund (LDCF).
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This success story from Rwanda is just one amongst many under the CC DARE programme that has helped removed barriers for the implementation of climate change adaptation actions in Sub Saharan Africa.