The Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy 2 and the National Strategy for Transformation aim to ensure that development in Rwanda protects the environment and builds resilience to threats posed by climate change, while sustaining economic, social, and cultural growth. Natural Capital Accounting is an approach for analysing trends and trade-offs in the use of the country’s land, water, minerals, and ecosystem assets.
In Rwanda, land is the basis for agriculture and rural livelihoods, but it faces pressures from population growth, the need for jobs, and rapid urbanization, as well as vulnerability to changes in climate, weather extremes, and rainfall patterns. Natural Capital Accounts for land can provide information about the land assets, changes in land use and land cover, land availability and productivity, as well as potential for and constraints to agricultural growth, a key pillar of Rwanda’s development agenda. Land Accounts can add value in sustainable development planning by providing indicators and trend analysis to track performance targets for sustainability, land allocation, service delivery, and productivity.
In this national document, the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) issues this first Natural Capital Accounting analysis on land. Key findings on assets and changes in land use, land cover, and land values are outlined.