Geographic Information System as a tool of environmental management solution in Rwanda

Abstract

The Geographic Information System is a tool for better solution of environmental management in
Rwanda. Rwanda’s environmental resources can be categorized into land, wetlands, forests, and
water resources. This paper aimed to conceptualize the integration and application of GIS and
Remotes sensing in environmental context through a review of the existing literature. This paper
will help to identify the areas in which their integration and application has proved the most
valuable in Rwanda environment, and reveal the extent to which their potential has been realized.
It willalso help to identify the Rwanda environmental aspects, including the challenges to be
overcome to find solutions.
According to EDPRS 2, the major problem in the field of environmental protection in Rwanda is
the imbalance between the population and the natural resources (land, water, flora and fauna and
nonrenewable resources, which have been degrading for decades). This degradation is observed
through massive deforestation, the depletion of bio-diversity, erosion and landslides, pollution of
waterways and the degradation of fragile ecosystems, such as swamps and wetlands. Geographical
information system is important tool to achieve goals of sustainability science which include
understanding, integrating, and modeling nature and society for well being of each nation citizens.