{"id":97382,"date":"2025-03-07T19:23:59","date_gmt":"2025-03-07T19:23:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees"},"modified":"2025-03-07T19:23:59","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T19:23:59","slug":"why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees","title":{"rendered":"Why Rwanda is set to map endangered \u2018legacy trees\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>The government has embarked on identifying and mapping \u2018native legacy trees \u2019 across the country to collect historical and cultural narratives associated with these trees for conservation, eco-tourism, and tapping into the carbon market.<\/p>\n

Such forests contain trees and ecosystems with significant age, historical and cultural value, or unique ecological characteristics, according to Philippe Kwitonda, the Director General in Charge of Land, Water, and Forestry at the Ministry of Environment.<\/p>\n

Legacy trees or forests with potential for the carbon market are the \u2018largest and oldest native trees\u2019 that have survived in Rwanda\u2019s landscapes despite agricultural expansion, human settlements, and urban development.<\/p>\n

These trees are often more resilient to climate change and disturbances, such as storms or pests, because of their natural diversity and age.<\/p>\n

The carbon market enables climate polluters to fund greenhouse gas emissions-reduction projects in other countries or entities and count the reductions toward their own climate targets.<\/p>\n

In addition to having cultural or historical significance, legacy trees often store more carbon than younger trees because of their large size.<\/p>\n

\u2018Icubya,\u2019 Rwanda\u2019s forgotten 300-year-old shrine tree, is among the legacy trees in Rutunga Sector, Gasabo District, where Rwanda originated.<\/p>\n

This tree, assumed to be a Cordia Africana, goes by many names such as \u2018Icubya,\u2019 \u2018Umuvugangoma,\u2019 \u2018Ikigumbashi\u2019 (barren tree), and \u2018imana ya Nyakalima\u2019 (god of Nyakalima). It is also known as \u2018imana y\u2019umuhigo\u2019 (god of hunting) because hunters in this area would share what they had all gathered at the end of the day under this same tree.<\/p>\n

Its story begins in the 17th century when Cyilima II Rujugira, who ruled Rwanda from 1675 to 1708, defeated several kingdoms that had launched military expeditions against Rwanda at the same time.<\/p>\n

Around 1695, after liberating the Ndorwa Kingdom, Rujugira ordered his son to live in Gasabo for its protection, and he planted a tree to mark the victory, under which locals hold village meetings to this day.<\/p>\n

He named it \u2018Icubya ricubya abanzi\u2019 (that which de-escalates enemies) and famously said, \u201cRwanda attacks, but never gets attacked.\u201d<\/p>\n

Philippe Kwitonda, the Director General in Charge of Land, Water, and Forestry at the Ministry of Environment, told The New Times that after identifying and mapping legacy trees, the government and partners will develop policies for the protection of these natural landmarks and introduce a \u2018Legacy Tree Tour\u2019 to promote eco-tourism and community-based conservation efforts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese special trees must be conserved and protected. They will be given identification numbers. Those executing construction projects, such as roads or housing, will be required to preserve such trees with cultural and historical significance,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

Beth Kaplin, Senior Researcher at the Centre of Excellence in Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management at the University of Rwanda, said that by blending scientific research with traditional knowledge, identifying and mapping legacy trees aims to enhance biodiversity conservation, strengthen the human-nature connection, and preserve native tree seed sources.<\/p>\n

She added that a national registry of legacy trees, including their ecological and cultural significance, will help increase awareness and protection of Rwanda\u2019s native trees, as well as better access to native tree seed stocks for reforestation and conservation.<\/p>\n

It will also contribute to Rwanda\u2019s commitments under the Global Biodiversity Framework and multilateral environmental agreements.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese trees are living testaments to Rwanda’s history, and through this initiative, we will ensure their stories are told and their benefits sustained,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n

Explaining the legacy trees\u2019 potential for the carbon market, Concorde Nsengumuremyi, Director General of the Rwanda Forestry Authority, said: \u201cThe longer a tree lasts, say 50 years, and the larger its size in terms of height and width, the more it reduces carbon emissions and attracts valuable carbon credits.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rwanda expects to sell 7.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent \u2013 carbon credits \u2013 estimating that they could generate $337 million.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Legacy Tree Project is a critical step in protecting Rwanda’s remaining native trees. Protecting legacy trees is a call to action for local communities, individuals, landowners, and government institutions to come together.<\/p>\n

By mapping and documenting the legacy trees, we are creating opportunities for education and tourism for sustainable development,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Rwanda<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. The government has embarked on identifying and mapping \u2018native legacy trees \u2019 across the country to collect historical and cultural narratives associated with these trees for conservation, eco-tourism, and tapping into the carbon market. Such forests contain trees and ecosystems with significant age, historical and cultural value, or unique ecological characteristics, according […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":97381,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,30],"tags":[758],"class_list":["post-97382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","tag-rwanda"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Rwanda is set to map endangered \u2018legacy trees\u2019 - Rwanda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Rwanda is set to map endangered \u2018legacy trees\u2019\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Africa-Press – Rwanda. The government has embarked on identifying and mapping \u2018native legacy trees \u2019 across the country to collect historical and cultural narratives associated with these trees for conservation, eco-tourism, and tapping into the carbon market. Such forests contain trees and ecosystems with significant age, historical and cultural value, or unique ecological characteristics, according […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rwanda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-07T19:23:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Why Rwanda is set to map endangered \u2018legacy trees\u2019\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-07T19:23:59+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees\"},\"wordCount\":700,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2025\/03\/sm_1741363218.012422.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Rwanda\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Community\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees\",\"name\":\"Why Rwanda is set to map endangered \u2018legacy trees\u2019 - Rwanda\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2025\/03\/sm_1741363218.012422.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-07T19:23:59+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2025\/03\/sm_1741363218.012422.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2025\/03\/sm_1741363218.012422.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":557,\"caption\":\"Why Rwanda is set to map endangered \u2018legacy trees\u2019\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Why Rwanda is set to map endangered \u2018legacy trees\u2019\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/\",\"name\":\"Rwanda\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why Rwanda is set to map endangered \u2018legacy trees\u2019 - Rwanda","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why Rwanda is set to map endangered \u2018legacy trees\u2019","og_description":"Africa-Press – Rwanda. The government has embarked on identifying and mapping \u2018native legacy trees \u2019 across the country to collect historical and cultural narratives associated with these trees for conservation, eco-tourism, and tapping into the carbon market. Such forests contain trees and ecosystems with significant age, historical and cultural value, or unique ecological characteristics, according […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees","og_site_name":"Rwanda","article_published_time":"2025-03-07T19:23:59+00:00","author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"Why Rwanda is set to map endangered \u2018legacy trees\u2019","datePublished":"2025-03-07T19:23:59+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees"},"wordCount":700,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2025\/03\/sm_1741363218.012422.jpg","keywords":["Rwanda"],"articleSection":["all news","Community"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees","name":"Why Rwanda is set to map endangered \u2018legacy trees\u2019 - Rwanda","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2025\/03\/sm_1741363218.012422.jpg","datePublished":"2025-03-07T19:23:59+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2025\/03\/sm_1741363218.012422.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2025\/03\/sm_1741363218.012422.jpg","width":1000,"height":557,"caption":"Why Rwanda is set to map endangered \u2018legacy trees\u2019"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/why-rwanda-is-set-to-map-endangered-legacy-trees#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Why Rwanda is set to map endangered \u2018legacy trees\u2019"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/","name":"Rwanda","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97382"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97382\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}