It is my great honour and pleasure to meet and to welcome you all to Partners for Conservation. Thirteen years ago, I began my career in conservation. One of the lessons learned from my experience is that conservation is neither a matter of extraordinary studies, nor an astronomic sum of money, nor a matter of dependency to a particular group or society. Working with poor communities surrounding the Volcanoes National Park, the sole habitat of the endangered mountain gorillas, offered me an opportunity to meet and interact with people of different backgrounds. Interestingly, I noticed that alongside the highly qualified person, a person without formal education or training was needed to check our plans to ensure success! Likewise, the poor person needed support from the richest and highly qualified. It is from this complementary relationship that I realized and concluded that everyone is a born conservator.

Here is another example: a farmer preparing for the coming farming season prepares the soil, designs water- catchments, plants anti-erosive plants, and so on. Once crops are grown, he fences the land. Traditionally, in Rwanda we use specialized indigenous trees like Vernoniaamygdalina (umubirizi), Dracaena afromontana (umuhati), Euphorobiatirucalli (umuyenzi), and Erythrinaabyssinica (umuko)…! You agree with me that our farmer has no intention other than ensuring healthy crops for a better harvest. But, “biodiversity” speaking, our farmer has given an invaluable contribution to the plight of conservation! What would we tell our children and grandchildren without this farmer’s action which unintentionally contributed to preserving these indigenous trees that are today threatened to extinction. This is what Partners for Conservation calls a legacy.

Biodiversity promotion, protection and conservation is innate to us. Only our willingness and means make the difference. This is why I took the first step to create Partners for Conservation, the only platform that gives everyone: from farmers to businessmen, from children to adults, from illiterates to academicians, from the impoverished to donors, from volunteers to professionals an opportunity to enjoy, measure and feel comfortable with what you’re able and willing to do for our biodiversity. The tasks ahead are greatly challenging and cannot be achieved without ownership and active participation of all stakeholders. Partners for Conservation will work closely with and through Rwandan citizens, public institutions as well as private, and civil society partners involved in environmental management and biodiversity conservation.

This website gives you an opportunity to update yourself on various activities and programmes going on in biodiversity promotion, conservation and protection involving Partners For Conservation as well as many other stakeholders. As is said above, Partners for Conservation is convinced that everyone is born a conservator, therefore a “Partner”. By visiting and recommending this website to your friends and family members, you have been a big support to our cause and have already become a Partner.

Together for a Legacy!
EMMANUEL BUGINGO
FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
PARTNERS FOR CONSERVATION