Research Article

The Impact of Forest Products Demand on Deforestation in Rwanda: A Case Study of Burera, Gakenke, Gicumbi, Musanze, and Rulindo Districts

Gaspard Ntabakirabose¹, Clementine Mukanoheri², Spridio Nshimiyimana³, Felicien Ndaruhutse⁴, Jean Claude Tuyisenge⁵, Protais Musoni⁶, David Mwehia Mburu⁷

^1,2Forest Research Department, Rwanda Forestry Authority, Huye, Rwanda

 ³Forest Management Department, Rwanda Forestry Authority, Huye, Rwanda

⁴Impact Product and Brand Department, One Acre Fund, Kigali-Rwanda

^5,6Agriculture and Natural Resource Department, Ministry of Local Government, Musanze, Rwanda

⁷Department of Land Resources Planning and Management, College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Nairobi, Kenya

*Corresponding author e-mail: gmutago@gmail.com

(Received: 10/03/2024; Revised: 30/05/2024; Accepted: 10/06/2024; Published: 30/06/2024)

ABSTRACT

The world’s forests play an integral role in not only the well-being of their inhabitants but also in the overall health of other lifeforms on the planet. Some of the major benefits of forests include climate stability, ecological benefits, biodiversity and economic importance. Deforestation is one of the major challenges to gain the above benefits in the long run. It involves the permanent end of forest cover to make that land available for residential, commercial or industrial purposes. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of forest products demand on deforestation in Rwanda. A case study of Burera, Gakenke, Gicumbi, Musanze, and Rulindo Districts. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey research design as its framework to guide the process of data collection. The target population was households living closer to the forest products demand. The study adopted a purposive sampling approach to select five districts. Twelve (20) households were randomly selected from each sector making a total sample size of 120 respondents. Descriptive analysis was done using SPSS version 20, and regression using STATA version 12. The results of the study indicated that the forest products used by the households were firewood, stakes, timbres, charcoal, building scaffolds, fodder, poles, and medicine. The results of the logit model showed that land size, family income, household size, occupation, education level, and fodder were statistically significant and positively influenced forest product demand in the study area at (p< 0.01). The result of the regression analysis also revealed that eight variables out of nine were positively significant and influenced deforestation in the study area. Agricultural activities, urbanization, forest fires, and overpopulation were statistically significant at the P ≤ 0.01 level. Despite the roles provided by forests all over the world, the results of this study showed deforestation effectively causes climate change, wildlife extinction & habitat loss, decline in the life quality of people (100%). After these results of the study, the best solution to overcome deforestation is to curb the felling of trees by enforcing a series of rules and laws to govern it. Supporting research, extension and training for more sustainable grazing systems, including silvopastoral techniques that can simultaneously increase livestock production and protect the soil against nutrient depletion, compaction and erosion.

Keywords: Impact, Forest Products, Demand, Deforestation.