Nyandungu Urban Wetland Eco-Park: Restoring 122 Hectares in Kigali for Flood Control and Biodiversity

Rwanda's Environment Management Authority (REMA) restored 121.7 hectares of a degraded urban wetland in eastern Kigali (about 70 ha wetland, 50 ha forest), financed by roughly 6.3 billion RWF (~US$5-6 million) of Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF/GEF) money.

Convert a degraded urban wetland into a flood-alleviation and biodiversity eco-park while creating recreational and economic value for surrounding Kigali neighbourhoods.

Between 2016 and 2020, the project replanted 17,000 indigenous trees across 55 native species, restored an indigenous fig forest, built five catchment ponds and three recreational ponds for flood alleviation, and constructed 8,574 metres of walkways and cycle paths.

A peer-reviewed case study covering 2016-2024 recorded strong statistical correlations between the restoration and ecological recovery (r=0.87-0.95), economic benefits (r=0.76-0.82) and social outcomes (r=0.72-0.79), all significant at p≤0.05, and documented recolonisation by over 100 bird species. Rwandan press reported over 110,000 visitors in 2025 (~300/day) and roughly 4,000 green jobs created since restoration began; these come from park/REMA reporting, not independent audit. The park won the 2025 Star Wetland Centre Award and Ramsar COP14 recognition.

The visitor and jobs figures are explicitly sourced from park/REMA reporting rather than independent verification, though the ecological-recovery statistics come from a peer-reviewed case study.