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Transcript/Script Rwanda Urban Wetland (TV)
HEADLINE: Rwanda Restores Degraded Wetland into Urban Eco-Tourism Park
TEASER:
PUBLISHED AT: 07/27/2022 at 5:30pm
BYLINE: Senanu Tord
DATELINE: Kigali, Rwanda
VIDEOGRAPHER: Senanu Tord
VIDEO EDITOR:
PRODUCER:
SCRIPT EDITORS: DLJ, MAS
VIDEO SOURCE(S): VOA Original
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO X
TRT: 3:02
VID APPROVED BY: MAS
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES: ))
((INTRO)) [[African wildlife officials meeting in Rwanda this month for the first ever Africa Protected Areas Congress noted that fast-spreading urbanization threatens the continent's biodiversity. In a bid to promote nature conservation, Rwanda has restored a degraded wetland in the capital as its first urban ecotourism and educational park. Senanu Tord reports from Kigali, Rwanda.]]
((NARRATOR))
The Nyandungu Eco-Park is Rwanda’s first ever urban park, located in the capital city of Kigali. It is a 121-hectare property made up of a wetland and a forest.
Authorities say the park will help promote conservation among urban communities and educate children about protecting nature.
((Teddy Mugabo Mpinganzima, Rwanda Green Fund (English (22secs))
“Its role is to play as an eco-tourism park but there is also a recreational and educational aspect to it. So within the park, we have a medicinal garden whereby we have actually planted indeginous tree species. And the idea for this is to really ensure that we are also regenerating indeginous tree species, and so through this we will be organizing tours with schools.''
((NARRATOR))
The park opened to the public in July, after a six-year process to restore it from a degraded wetland.
Officials say structures were built on the delicate wetland and it was used for livestock and agriculture, damaging it.
To salvage the area, Rwandan authorities say they worked with residents – some whose livelihoods depended on the area - to develop a model that supports both urbanization and conservation.
((Teddy Mugabo Mpinganzima, Rwanda Green Fund, English (30secs))
“So, what we did when we were developing the park, we made sure that the jobs that we created and the people that we gave the work to during the work that was going on, were actually those in same local community. So, in the end, the park is really not a product of the Ministry of Environment or the Rwanda Greenfund. It is something that everyone has worked on.”
((NARRATOR))
This model, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, is a sustainable way to develop African cities while preserving Africa's biodiversity.
((Luther Anukur, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (English (20secs)) “Africa is fast developing, and the tension is there between development and conservation. For example, lots of infrastructure development. But actually, we are trying to say here that needs to be resolved. It doesn't have to be development or conservation. We are saying development for conservation and conservation for development”
((NARRATOR))
To achieve this, officials say there must be a review of how much financing governments in Africa are providing for conservation and development projects.
((Luther Anukur, International Union for the Conservation of Nature))
“We need to move away from the old paradigm where protected areas or basically diversity conservation was basically looking at only one source of financing. And this source financing were mainly grants from overseas development assistance. But we are trying to say that there need to be first of all governments themselves allocating more resources towards protected areas because they provide value to the economy.”
((NARRATOR))
Rwandan authorities say the model that blends public and private funding works well and they will continue to use it restore other conservation sites.
((Senanu Tord for VOA news, Kigali, Rwanda ))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)Kigali, Rwanda
Embargo DateJuly 27, 2022 18:11 EDT
Byline((Senanu Tord for VOA news, Kigali, Rwanda ))
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
