Assessing the Impact of Charcoal Production on Environmental Degradation of Gishwati-Mukara National Park, Rutsiro and Ngororero Districts, Rwanda

Résumé fourni par la source

Gishwati Forest, located in Rutsiro and Ngororero Districts of Rwanda, has experienced severe degradation over the last two decades, largely due to intensified charcoal production that has accelerated tree loss and weakened the forest's ecological stability. This continued deforestation, despite national reforestation efforts, has reduced forest cover from approximately 40 percent in 2004 to below 32 percent in 2024. The lack of spatially explicit, localised data linking charcoal production to environmental degradation has hindered the development of targeted policy interventions. To address this gap, the study investigated the relationship between charcoal production and forest degradation by assessing land cover change, quantifying deforestation rates and evaluating forest health using geospatial indicators such as the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The research employed a mixed-methods approach, integrating satellite imagery from Landsat 7, Landsat 8 and Sentinel-2 with Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis and field-based validation. Ground truthing was carried out using GPS-referenced surveys and direct observation to confirm the accuracy of land cover classifications and identify active charcoal production areas. The study specifically analysed temporal changes from 2004 to 2024 to determine the spatial patterns and intensity of deforestation linked to charcoal activity. Findings revealed that the most significant forest loss occurred between 2004 and 2014, averaging nearly 88 hectares annually, with a slower rate of about 30 hectares per year between 2014 and 2024. NDVI analysis showed that average vegetation health improved from 0.39 in 2015 to 0.46 in 2020, possibly reflecting restoration efforts, but then slightly declined to 0.45 by 2025, indicating unstable recovery. Spatial trends showed that deforestation initially expanded from areas near roads and settlements and later advanced into remote and protected forest zones. NDVI values in charcoal hotspots varied widely, with some areas demonstrating signs of regeneration and others continuing to degrade, highlighting the uneven impact of restoration efforts and the need for site-specific interventions. Based on these findings, the study recommends the establishment of sustainable land-use zoning, the promotion of affordable renewable energy alternatives to charcoal and the empowerment of community-based forest management committees supported by training and performance-based incentives. The integration of remote sensing with participatory field methods was shown to be an effective, low-cost approach for monitoring forest health and guiding policy.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.