Since the establishment of this reserve in 1980, protection efforts have been made by the Government. However, the lack of a consultative framework with local communities and strategies for their active participation in conservation have meant that RNR is still under human pressure. Degrading human activities continue to take place in this defensive area. Cultural clearings, uncontrolled agricultural drainage of marshes, illegal fishing, etc. are all factors that degrade the reserve and always create conflicts between communities, administration and conservatives.

The examination of solutions to resolve the conflicts inherent in the use of RNR resources highlights the need to reconcile the sustainable management of the reserve and the well-being of the populations. Properly managed, the reserve's natural resources can contribute to meeting the needs of a growing population, while their degradation and loss can worsen the poverty situation of the coastal communities that live there. The sustainability of the natural resources of the RNR is therefore only possible if measures of participation and consultation of all stakeholders, especially local communities, are taken.

Since 2008, Burundi, with the desire to mitigate conflicts in the management of protected areas, has conducted a “Study of the modes of governance and categories of current and future protected areas in Burundi”. Currently, a law that provides new guidelines for the management of protected areas in Burundi has just been enacted.

In accordance with this law, the RNR, as a protected area established in a natural environment, fell under the governance of “Co-management” between the State and the Communities. The co-management type of governance responds to the variety of rights recognized by democratic societies and demonstrated by the sharing of authority and management responsibility between the State and local communities. Such a vision can only be applicable around an action plan and a program established in consultation between the State and local communities. It is within this framework, with the financial support of CARPE/IUCN, that APRN/BEPB has undertaken consultations and consultations with populations and other stakeholders to develop a concerted co-management plan and put in place incentives for RNR.

	a. Meeting to set up the management committee for the delta sector of Rusizi National Park b. Rusizi National Park Delta Sector Community Committee
	a. Meeting to set up the management committee for the palm grove sector of Rusizi National Park. b. Community Management Committee for the Palm Grove Sector of Rusizi National Park
	Delimitation of the palm grove sector of Rusizi National Park by the Jatropha system