Rwanda’s National Forest Policy
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Despite continuing population and land pressures, Rwanda is achieving a major reversal in the trend of declining forest cover. A National Forest Policy, with the ambition of making forestry one of the bedrocks of the economy and ensure a national ecological balance with sustainable benefits for all segments of society, was implemented in 2004 and most recently updated in 2018. In 2011, Rwanda’s National Forest Policy was recognised as the world’s most inspiring and innovative forest policy with a Gold Future Policy Award.
Since its implementation, Rwanda’s National Forest Policy has been a resounding success, positioning the country as a global leader in forest restoration and biodiversity conservation. Rwanda is among the first nations worldwide to meet the ambitious 30by30 biodiversity target, a key goal of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which calls for protecting 30% of land and sea areas by 2030. The forest cover has increased from 18% in 2010 to 30.4% in 2022.