Scaling nature-based solutions for Kigali's climate resilience

KIGALI, November 29, 2024 -Kigali is embarking on a new endeavour to harness solutions readily found in nature to address the city's most pressing climate hazards, particularly flash floods, landslides, and soil erosion. Designed and implemented in collaboration with the City of Kigali and local organizations,Scaling Urban Nature-based Solutions for Climate Adaptation in sub-Saharan Africa (SUNCASA) is a three-year project aiming to strengthen the resilience of 975,000 residents while promoting gender equality, social inclusion and biodiversity conservation.

A launch ceremony will take place on November 29, 2024, at 3:30 pm local time, at the Marriott Hotel, with the Mayor of the City of Kigali, Samuel Dusengiyumva, representatives from the National Government, and the Canadian High Commissioner in attendance.

Delivered by the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the World Resources Institute, with funds from Global Affairs Canada, SUNCASA will invest USD 7 million by 2026 in gender-responsive nature-based solutions (NbS), restoring nine critical sub-catchments in the lower Nyabarongo River watershed, where steep slopes expose households to both landslides and downstream flooding.

SUNCASA is working with its local partners-theARCOS Network, AVEGA-Agahozo, and the Rwanda Young Water Professional-to implement NbS across Kicukiro, Nyarugenge, and Gasabo districts. Women-led cooperatives are already preparing hundreds of thousands of seedlings-mostly of indigenous species- in 11 nurseries across the city to support the project's activities.

Members of ARCOS Network preparing millions of seedlings to implement SUNCASA nature-based solutions in Kigali, Rwanda. 975,000 residents will have their resilience enhanced. (Photo: William Bidibura | ARCOS Network | SUNCASA)

SUNCASA aims to plant around two million trees through NbS activities that include:

• Establishing new forests on 220 hectares of bare and degraded land with 827,000 trees.
• Reforesting 650 hectares with more than 1 million trees.
• Planting 125,000 fruit trees and shrubs to support agroforestry and create sustainable livelihoods.
• Creating 395 hectares of buffer zones to stabilize gullies and riverbanks and mitigate soil erosion.
• Planting 88,475 trees in new public gardens and along roadways.

The project is also committed to fostering gender equality and social inclusion. SUNCASA has committed that at least 50% of its project participants will be women and progress towards this goal is already underway. Women-led cooperatives are actively involved in seedling production and site preparation. Alongside these efforts, SUNCASA conducts community workshops with women, men and local leaders to promote gender inclusion.

Over its three-year implementation, SUNCASA aims to create thousands of green jobs alongside training opportunities for communities.
In addition to its activities in Kigali, the SUNCASA project works with the cities of Dire Dawa, in Ethiopia, and Johannesburg, South Africa, to advance nature-based solutions for urban climate adaptation. In total, USD 21 million will be invested in gender-responsive NbS in the three cities, enhancing the resilience of 2.2 million people in high-flood-risk areas.

QUOTES

"The SUNCASA project is a perfect match with the city plan to become a city in the forest. We really intend to increase our greening scope from households to public places. But we also want to really ensure that we bring nature-based solutions to our interventions beyond the trees."
Samuel Dusengiyumva, Mayor of Kigali

"SUNCASA is about more than implementing nature-based solutions; it's about catalyzing transformative resilience in the City of Kigali. Together with local partners and communities we've now begun planting 2 million+ trees across the city, which will contribute to the City of Kigali's green vision and drive long-lasting climate resilience through protected riverbanks, rehabilitated land, as well as income sources and green spaces for local communities."
Marc Manyifika, Urban Resilience Lead, World Resources Institute - Africa

"SUNCASA's rapid progress in Kigali is truly inspiring, especially the active participation of communities in cultivating seedlings and planting trees. Kigali is well on track to achieve the project's ambitious goal of planting 3 million Indigenous trees by 2026. This effort not only enhances the city's resilience and greening infrastructure but also establishes Kigali as a global role model for sustainability and climate adaptation."
Tristan Easton, Senior Project Manager, SUNCASA and IISD

"This project reflects Canada's steadfast climate action commitment, supporting climate adaptation and fostering equitable and sustainable development. It is inspiring to see this vision come to life here in Kigali."
Julie Crowley, High Commissioner for Canada in the Republic of Rwanda

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