Comparing the community dependence on natural resources in Nyungwe National Park and the contribution of revenue sharing through integrated conservation and development projects

A revenue-sharing scheme aimed at balancing biodiversity conservation and community development around Nyungwe National Park (NNP) has shown limited success. Despite investments of approximately 1 billion Rwandan francs supporting 152 projects, local dependence on natural resources—such as stolen exotic tree species and mining—remains high, with 38.6% of respondents citing mining as a primary income source. The scheme failed to significantly reduce threats to biodiversity due to economic gaps that left many community members dissatisfied. Researchers recommend revising the revenue-sharing model to better address livelihood costs and create a true win-win scenario for conservation and development.

Imanishimwe, A., Niyonzima, T., & Nsabimana, D. (2019). Comparing the community dependence on natural resources in Nyungwe National Park and the contribution of revenue sharing through integrated conservation and development projects. Rwanda Journal of Engineering, Science, Technology and Environment, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.4314/rjeste.v2i1.9