Library Resource
Policy Papers & Briefs
September, 2015
Rwanda, Uganda, Botswana, Senegal, Zambia, Tanzania
Rwanda has nearly 280,000 hectares of wetlands, almost 11% of the country’s total
area.1 These wetlands provide critical habitats for wildlife and biodiversity, maintain
important hydrologic processes that help to clean and protect ground and surface
water, support a variety of local livelihoods and largely define Rwanda’s idyllic
undulating topography.
2 Despite their ecological and economic importance, Rwanda’s
wetlands are being degraded and lost faster than any other ecosystem, with