The Government of the Republic of Burundi has obtained technical and financial support from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), to implement a project that extends to protected areas in the south (Vyanda, Rumonge and Kigwena) and the Monge Forest Nature Reserve. These protected areas contain a diversity of flora and fauna that no longer exists in turn. The availability of natural resources in these protected areas attracts the envy of the population who uses them for various uses. This situation is compounded by demographic pressure combined with the poverty of the local population despite the efforts of the Government to combat it.

This project, entitled “Strengthening the physical integrity of protected areas and improving the living conditions of coastal populations”, was initiated in order to reduce the dependence on the natural resources of these protected areas by the local population. Its objective is to contribute to the strengthening of the physical integrity of these protected areas by improving their management and promoting participatory management.

Thus, the main activities are: (i) materialization of the limited, (ii) strengthening the technical and material capacities of eco-guards, (iii) development of income-generating and environmental protection activities in favor of local populations, (iv) strengthening of local associations in group dynamics and entrepreneurship and (v) development of a development and management plan.

The choice of activities should refer to a development and management plan. Due to the lack of this essential tool for the development and management of protected areas (PAs), this support includes, among other activities, the development of the PAG for the RNFM.

It is within this framework that this document makes it possible to respond to this major gap. It will be a reference document for any conservation action of the RNFM and for RNFM managers for a period of 10 years from its adoption.