Integrated Valuation of Rwanda's Forest and Wetland Ecosystems for National Planning and Green GDP

Rwanda's forest and wetland ecosystems, particularly Nyungwe National Park, are vital national wealth assets with a total economic value (TEV) dominated by regulating services such as water regulation, carbon storage, and soil erosion control. Nyungwe alone generates annual benefits of approximately 6,484.8 billion RWF from these services, with significant contributions to water regulation (418.2 billion RWF), carbon storage (6,066.3 billion RWF), and soil erosion control (0.3 billion RWF). The study introduces the Rwanda Integrated Valuation Framework (RIVF), combining biophysical modeling and household surveys to estimate protection dividends (PD) and net costs of degradation (NCD), providing actionable metrics for national planning and Green GDP. This approach demonstrates that conserving these ecosystems is not just an environmental priority but a strategic macroeconomic imperative, aligning with Rwanda's Vision 2050.

MANIRAKIZA Richard, MUNYENTWALI Clement, RUGIRA Fraterne, HAKUZWIYAREMYE Noel, UWISHEMA Valentin, HABIMANA Jean Pierre, Innocent NDIKUBWIMANA, Fulgence HATANGIMANA, RUKUNDO Emmanuel, & OSUYA Ikechukwu. (2026). Integrated Valuation of Rwanda's Forest and Wetland Ecosystems for National Planning and Green GDP. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.21394107