For a management plan to be effective, the participation of all concerned must be ensured. This includes not only the political-administrative authorities, technical departments and all development partners, but above all the surrounding population whose legitimate interests must be taken into consideration.

In the case of the Gisagara Protected Landscape, the first protected area of its kind created in 1995, the participation of local communities in protection activities forms the core of its management. Local communities must therefore occupy a prominent place in the development of the Gisagara Protected Landscape Management and Development Plan. This is also supported by Burundi's new policy on governance methods and categories of protected areas established as part of the Country Support Project for the implementation of the Work Programme on Protected Areas of the Convention on Biological Diversity under the funding of GEF/UNDP.

In accordance with this new orientation in the management of protected areas, the Gisagara Protected Landscape is under the governance of “Co-management” between the State and the Communities. The participation of local communities and other stakeholders in the management of the Gisagara Protected Landscape is therefore becoming indispensable.

The methodology that guided the development of this plan followed several steps. Initially, it was necessary to hold a two-day meeting with community representatives at the level of the census hills and the communal administration and the various development partners. It was in this meeting that hills that should be concerned by the conservation activities of the Gisagara Protected Landscape were targeted. The participants in the meeting also defined a method for electing representatives who should participate in the future meeting to develop the Management and Development Plan.

In a second step, meetings were organized at hill level where the participants were the entire population convened by the communal administration. After explanations of new directions of the State in the management of the Gisagara Protected Landscape by the Curator of this protected area. The communities elected their representatives at the future meeting. Thirdly, it was necessary to organize a meeting of four days with the elected representatives of the communities to develop the management and development plan for the Gisagara Protected Landscape. The methodology used was a participatory diagnosis based on a guide document for the development of management and development plans prepared for this purpose.

The present management and development plan is therefore a consensus document between the State and the communities and is the result of a highly inclusive participatory process. The implementation of this plan is therefore the mission of all stakeholders. However, the Government of Burundi must play the leading role in these activities for the conservation of this protected area and the development of human environments bordering on it.