Burundi has 14 Protected Areas (PAs) including 3 national parks (Kibira National Park, Rusizi National Park and Ruvubu National Park), 6 nature reserves (Bururi Nature Reserve, Monge Nature Reserve, Monge Nature Reserve, Malagarazi Nature Reserve, Malagarazi Nature Reserve, Malagarazi Nature Reserve, Kigwena Nature Reserve, Kigwena Nature Reserve, and Ruvubu National Park), 6 nature reserves (protected landscapes), 3 protected landscapes (protected landscapes) of Gisigara, protected landscapes of Makamba and protected landscapes of the North) and 2 natural monuments (Karera Falls and Enyakazu faults).

Indeed, the protection of these natural ecosystems did indeed begin in 1980 with the adoption of Decree-Law No. 1/6 of 3 March 1980 establishing national parks and nature reserves. Despite the extent and wealth of the Kibimbi and Inanzerwe mountains, the latter were not considered to be part of Burundi's PA system. Located straddling the natural regions of Bututsi in the province of Bururi and Buragane in the province of Makamba, these mountains are among the ecosystems that are subject to pressures of various types of anthropogenic origin, which are amplified by the effects of climate change. Currently, changes in their environments are mainly observed with the establishment of several households mainly made up of farmers and herders whose activities have regularly modified the various ecosystems of these mountains.

The loss of plants over very large areas is manifested by the emergence of large rocks, thus making these mountains very impermeable to rainwater, hence the flooding of the areas located at the bottom of these mountains. Faced with this situation and with the specific support of the Government of Burundi, OBPE, which is the institution in charge of the creation and management of PAs, mobilized its managers to formulate the first guidelines for the protection of the Kibimbi-Inanzerwe mountains. In order to defend these mountains, an identification study as an AP was carried out in order to motivate the interest of their protection in order to save and perpetuate all the natural resources and the services they offer for the well-being of communities. For this purpose, a methodology was established and consisted of field visits by various teams of OBPE managers in order to conduct consultations with the provincial authorities of the provinces of Bururi and Makamba, from top to bottom, to inform them of the project to classify these mountains as PA and to seek their support during all stages of the process until the development of the document for a study to identify the area to be protected.

At the beginning of the launch of these consultations, a team led by the Director of Forests met respectively with the Governors of Makamba and Bururi provinces. Subsequently, another team made up of three managers, supported by the OBPE branch heads in these provinces and the officials of the PAs located in these districts, met with the administrators of the municipalities and all the heads of areas and hills bordering the mountains.