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This strategy which will cover a five year period (2013-2018) is developed to implement the second phase of the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy with the aim of achieving the revised targets of vision 2020. The strategy present a mission of ensuring the protection and conservation of the environment and ensure optimal and rational utilization of natural resources for sustainable national development.The overall objective of the strategy is to ensure that environment and natural resources are utilized and managed productively in support of equitable and sustained national development and poverty reduction.The strategy present the following specific objectives: (i) to increase and sustainably manage ecosystems and forest resources to optimize their economic as well as ecological functions, (ii) to put in place and operationalise an efficient system of land administration and land management that secure land ownership, promote investment in land for socio-economic development and poverty reduction, (iii) to ensure that development in Rwanda is undertaken in a manner that inflicts minimal damage to the environment, and building resilience to threats posed by climate change for the sustained support to economic, social and cultural development of Rwanda, (iv) to secure and provide water of adequate quantity and quality for all social and economic needs of the present and future generations with the full participation of all stakeholders in decisions affecting its management, (v) to improve the geology and mines sub-sector to contribute optimally and sustainably to the national income and to the social economic welfare of the community.In order to make agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable, the strategy plans to develop a forest and nature conservation strategy which aims to increase the role of forestry to the national economy and this will be achieved through attracting private investment in forest and nature conservation. It is expected that efficient technologies will increase production of forest raw materials through strengthened research and availability of improved tree seeds.In addition the government plans also projects of providing water resources for irrigation, high value agriculture, livestock and fisheries, and for small scale industrial production. These projects will promote multiple use services of water, in addition to technology development, transfer, and dissemination to enhance efficient water use for high value agriculture.Regarding the reduction the rural poverty, the government envisages the restoration of watershed, hillside and wetlands ensures and builds natural capital, while providing water for economic activity and household security and imparting life-long skills to young people and women.Furthermore, the GoR will initiate Payments for Ecosystem Services to communities and in particular to organize gender and youth groups. These payments represent an innovative source of new revenue to local economies. Together with technology development and dissemination, they provide new resources to spur youth-targeted job creation through resources management in rural communities. By 2017/2018, it is planned that 60,000 Rwandans will be employed in the Mining sub-sector.Finally, with this strategy all vulnerable groups such as the extreme poor people with disability, people living with HIV/AIDS, historically marginalised groups, genocide survivors, orphans and other vulnerable children and youth, female headed households and the elderly will be given a special consideration in the processes of training and recruitment in the Natural Resources sector. A number of disabled youth who complete their secondary school studies will be trained in the fields that are commensurate with their physical capacities.To increase the resilience of livelihoods to disasters, under this strategy, environment, climate change and disaster management will be mainstreamed by increasing forest cover to 30% of the total area of the country. Degraded forest ecosystems will be rehabilitated and forestry resources will be managed sustainably. Activities such as reduction of flooding potential, through erosion control and assessment of potential damage impacts, will be undertaken. A national capacity plan will be developed for drought management by planting drought resistant trees in drought prone regions. This is expected to reduce the impacts of forest related disasters to 15% at the end of EDPRS II.In the context of governance, MINIRENA as the lead ministry in charge of protection of the environment and sustainable management of natural resources, will provide the overall policy oversight, guidance in the preparation and implementation of the sector budget, and lead in the sub-sector resource mobilization. It will ensure appropriate legislation adoption in relation to sustainable Environment and Natural Resource management and coordinate inter-ministerial and inter-institutional issues of the ENR sector.
