In Ndiza landscape of Muhanga District in Southern Rwanda, where farmland and mining activities stretch across the hills, Busaga Forest stands quietly, almost easy to miss. At just 152 hectares, it may look like a small patch of trees in a heavily used landscape. But what it holds inside, and what it means to both people and nature, is far greater than its size suggests.
For the critically endangered hooded vulture, this forest is not just another habitat. It is the only known breeding site in Rwanda, home to a small but vital population whose survival depends entirely on this place. And yet, the story of Busaga is not only about wildlife. It is also about people, about the families who live around the forest and whose lives are closely tied to it in ways that are not always visible at first glance.
The forest supports them quietly, through fertile soils, water regulation, and a more stable local climate. A recent biodiversity survey revealed just how much life still depends on this landscape, from dozens of bird species to mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and over a hundred native plant species. In a region where much of the natural habitat has already been transformed, Busaga has become a kind of last refuge, for biodiversity and for the ecological services that communities rely on every day.
A Shift in Perspective
But like many such places, it has not been easy to protect. Over the years, pressure from farming, fuelwood collection, and resource extraction has slowly chipped away at the forest. These pressures do not come from neglect, but from necessity. For a long time, the relationship between the forest and the surrounding communities felt like a difficult trade-off, as if protecting one meant limiting the other.
What has started to change in Busaga is not just the condition of the land, but the way people see that relationship. Instead of treating conservation as something separate from livelihoods, the approach has shifted toward working with communities as partners, not as beneficiaries.
For so long, the forest and our farms felt like they were in competition. Now we see that by taking care of our land, by planting these trees and improving our soils, we are also taking care of the forest itself. We expect better nutrition for our families, better harvests, and healthier soils. This is what we have been waiting for.
Erneste Twagirimana, a farmer from Muyebe Village
For the first time, we have the tools to plan ahead and make clear decisions about our future. It has changed the way we think, from just getting through each day to building something lasting. When your mindset changes, everything else begins to change too.
Reverien Tuyisenge, from Rukomo village
Building Financial Resilience
At the same time, another layer of transformation is taking place, one that is less visible but just as important. Through financial literacy training, community members are learning how to manage money, plan ahead, save, and invest in their own small businesses.
Nature-Positive Financing
This is what nature-positive financing looks like on the ground. It is not a theory or a distant idea. It is about making sure that conservation efforts are connected to real economic opportunities, so that protecting nature also improves people’s lives.
This is not just about protecting a forest. It is about building a system where communities have both the means and the motivation to lead conservation themselves. When livelihoods improve and people feel secure, they naturally become stewards of the land around them.
Jean Claude Dusabimana, Executive Director of Nature Rwanda
Busaga Forest is a reminder that size does not define importance. What matters is the role a place plays in connecting people, nature, and the future they share. Here, in this small forest, a different kind of story is unfolding—one where conservation is not about choosing between people and nature, but about bringing them back together in a way that works for both.
