Burundi

The Republic of Burundi is a small landlocked country located in Eastern Africa’s Great Lakes region. It has an equatorial climate and is part of the Albertine Rift, which is the western extension of the Great Rift Valley. The country established two national parks in 1982 – Kibira National Park in the northwest part of the country and Rurubu National Park in the northeast – with a total of 5 percent of its lands under protection of some kind. In 2008 Burundi entered into an agreement with neighboring Rwanda to protect the largest remaining tract of tropical mountain forest, which is home to chimpanzees, rare owl-faced monkeys and other wildlife.

Hydroelectricity

Burundi is dependent on hydroelectric power generation for its supply of electricity. Previous civil war led to the deterioration of these facilities, and now electricity is only available to 2% of the country.

Aid to Burundi

The Government of Japan recently extended environmental program aid to the Republic of Burundi, under the Project for Introduction of Clean Energy by Solar Electricity Generation System. This grant will provide funds to equip Kamenge University Hospital, located in Bujumbura, with solar electricity generation devices. It is predicted that through implementing this aid, CO2 emissions will be reduced and the necessary framework for solar electricity generation systems will be built in Burundi.

The Convention on Biological Diversity

The Convention on Biological Diversity was inspired by the world community's growing commitment to sustainable development. It represents a dramatic step forward in the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.

The following discusses Burundi's plans for biodiversity nationwide:

Burundi is located in Central Africa and 90% of its population works in agriculture. Forests, wetlands, savannas, and steppes are among the ecosystems that can be found in this country. Burundi created 13 protected areas that can be divided into four categories: National Parks, Natural Forest Reserves, Natural Monuments, and protected landscapes. The vascular flora comprises 2,909 species with a high endemism rate for species found at higher altitudes. Burundi’s fauna include 716 bird, 215 fish, 163 mammal, 56 amphibian, and 52 reptile species. Around 100 animal species are threatened with extinction.

The national vision is to ensure that the population is rightly informed of the value of biodiversity and the threats it faces, as well as involved and engaged in its conservation and sustainable use for the well-being of present and future generations. The strategy is based on the eight following axes: conservation of biodiversity; sustainable use of its components; fair sharing of responsibilities and benefits; biotechnologies; public education and awareness raising; training and research; impact assessments and reduction of negative impacts; and cooperation and exchange of information. In addition, 13 main objectives, 27 specific objectives and 96 actions have been identified. The NBSAP also contains 16 detailed projects intended to implement the strategy and action plan.

Goal 4 : Promotion of sustainable use and rational consumption

The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan envisages implementation of the following specific objective: Consolidation of management plans regarding sustainable use and valorization of biological resources As a result of having ratified the CITES Convention, Burundi has indicated political will to ensure that species of wild flora and fauna will not be threatened by international commerce. Burundi is in the process of preparing an implementation document in order to best achieve this objective.

Goal 5 : Reduction of pressures caused by habitat loss, degradation, soil change, over-exploitation of water resources

Objective 3 : Establishment, maintenance and surveillance of an integrated network of protected areas or of other important zones of protection for representative biodiversity. The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan contains the strategic objective to “Ensure continuous surveillance in order to reduce or eradicate the different types of threats that can influence biodiversity conservation.”

Goal 7: Investigate challenges posed to biological diversity by climate change and pollution

The National Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan provides adaptation options for biodiversity affected by climate change, while taking into consideration the vulnerability of the following sectors: agriculture, forests, drylands, mountain landscapes and ecosystems.

Source: Convention on Biodiversity