Photos from ASYV's Umuganda featured in documentary

This is worth watching. The video is in Japanese, so I do not know what is being said. I still enjoyed seeing the images of Umuganda and generally from around Rwanda: http://youtu.be/nTmKJHRB4v0. The director asked to use my photos from Rwanda on the Wing, and they are in there, starting around 8:20. What an interconnected world we live in- photos from a North American featured in a Japanese documentary about something awesome in Rwanda.

A Rubona Sector Almanac

“There are some can live without wild things, and some who cannot. These essays are the delights and dilemmas of one who cannot.” Aldo Leopold, in the forward to A Sand County Almanac

Aldo Leopold used basic interactions between plants, animals, soils, water, and weather on his farm in Wisconsin to illustrate the complex web of ecology in A Sand County Almanac. In homage to his most famous writing and my favorite book, I compiled a few brief observations over the past year from each month to celebrate a small piece of land in the Rwandan countryside. 

Leopold started with the awakening of a slumbering skunk in the first mid-winter-thaw in January and finished the month-by-month progression with the birds struggling to grapple with the colds of December. In Rwanda, which has a small temperature range all year round, the seasons are less clear. There is a distinctive dry season (June-August) and a distinctive wet season (September-November), but the rest of the time, it is just less wet and less dry. For those of you interested in the wild things in your backyard, this is a snapshot of a few wild things in my backyard this past year, a rural hillside in Rwanda.

December

You wake up in a fog. There are hills flowing over the earth’s crust in every direction but you might as well be anywhere. The birds are timid in the fog and you can get closer to them than usual, if only you could see them clearly. Unless rains come, the sun will bake off the fog within an hour. It feels hot by 8 AM, but the equatorial sun is mitigated by our elevation of 1,550 meters (about 1 mile). 

January

Ants are everywhere, making their trails above ground while the soil is soggy. Explosions of breeding termites would go unnoticed if it weren’t for the tens of thousands of wings that litter the ground in the morning. By afternoon,however, the bodies have been mostly eaten by birds or carried off by ants.

Blackcap warblers are feeding in the bushes. These little birds breed in Eurasia, but are paying a visit to our hill. The cold of Eurasia prevents a menu of insects at this time; fortunately, ants, termites, and all sorts of other invertebrates are the season's special in Rwanda.

February

The sun sets around 5:45 PM and rises at around 5:45 AM. Half of the day is lived in darkness, a time when owls fly over, snakes slither on the pathways, and frogs croak to announce their presence in lasting wet spots.

Few and fewer places get their light from the moon and stars at night. When the moon is not visible, it is dark. If there are no clouds, stars form long streams of shimmering white, what is called the Milky Way. When the lights are out, the electricity is down, or you walk far enough away from the lights, the sky is an explosion of stars. You also see the cycles of the moon, and their pattern becomes familiar with each passing month. 

Blackcap warblers continue until mid-month. I see them for the last time on February 15. The rains are unpredictable but sometimes last for several hours. 

March

European bee-eaters and barn swallows have begun to pass by in numbers. They look bright and sharp as they fly over from the south and presumably migrate north. They stop by and rest on power lines, feasting on bees and flies in their aerial assaults. Western Marsh Harriers, a European breeding bird, even flew over twice this month. These visitors are not nearly as visible as the residents. Birds like yellow bishops, green-winged pytilias, and yellow-backed weavers ignore humans passing as they continue to sing from the tops of grasses. Male pin-tailed whydahs chase every female in sight and will chase any other bird that gets close. 

Eastern portion of Lake Mugesera

April

Michele and I were walking toward Lake Mugesera, a long, deep lake with fingers that reach into every valley. Defying the clouds in the distance, we were going to look for birds that are specialists of the swamp and denizens of the lakeside. An hour into our walk it started pouring, and we took shelter under a tarp in the back of a house. A young couple operated a restaurant under this tarp, and the rain had driven a couple dozen travelers from the road to this sheltered spot. 

When you wait under a tarp watching the rain fall, you see two clear elements of life in the Rwandan countryside. First, perhaps obvious to state, water flows to the lowest elevation. This has tremendous implications for who gets water easily and what distance everyone else has to walk. Second, people live by the weather. When it rains you go inside and let the clouds water your crops. When it’s dry, you haul water from where it has previously gathered below. Three hours later, the rain stopped falling, and we made our way to the lake.

May 

Flowers are blooming in all directions. Counts of bees returning with pollen are the highest they have been all year, and they seem ready to produce honey. A magnificent yellow blanket spreads across a section of as-of yet uncultivated hill. Rains continue until the late middle of the month but eventually, I notice that it hasn’t rained in days.

June

I noted male pin-tailed whydahs without their streaming tail feathers. They are starting their molt into a more conservative appearance; with nesting done for the time, there is no need to be showy. Southern red bishops are flitting around among the bushes, but they lack the red that alerted all to their presence. Only their drab plumages remain.

A period 3 straight days of rain mid-month surprised us as it has been dry for weeks. And then the dry returned.

Non-breeding male pin-tailed whydah

July

Small tornadoes of dust cycle in my direction. They lack the ferocity of bigger twisters, but the dust is not easy on the eyes, throat, or lenses. Walking down the road one notices a rust coating all plants within a meter or so. They are not unique variations of their species; red dirt kicked up from cars, trucks, motorcycles, and the wind layers upon the leaves. No rains fall; people without wells must walk down hill to the swamp and lake to fetch water. I suppose the birds do likewise.

August

The lesser striped swallows have abandoned their nests by the guesthouses; white-rumped swifts have moved into one of their empty mud tunnels. Several umuko trees are in full bloom. Their leaves have fallen, which seems to occur before they bloom. Their spindle-finger petals burn red against the green and brown backdrop of grasses and cultivated crops.

Towering clouds reign the sky in all directions. They are not emptying upon us in force yet, but as the month passes, small rain showers punctuate the days. The rainy season is imminent. 

September

The rain comes in waves. The wind hits you first, with dark cumulonimbus clouds in the distance. You can see it three hills away, then two, then it is nearly upon you.

Now is the time to plant. Farmers have spent the previous month forking the soil, waiting for the rain that will help them turn seeds into breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

Some species have begun their molt back to breeding plumage. The pin-tailed whydahs in particular are noticeable. Small flocks of 15 birds gather on the short grasses, but they are nearly all little brown dull ones. A male sometimes leaps up on to a flower stalk, displaying his blackening plumage and lengthening tail feathers.

October

Heavier rains have come.  It rained nearly every day until a stretch of five days without a drop. And then the clouds returned and poured upon us with vengeance. One day it hailed. 

The plants grow quickly even on a recently hoed trail due to the rain. Also, the flies have gotten thick and particularly aggressive. When I am working up in the park, they come for my face, landing on my nose, lips, and trying for the eyes. They do not seem to bite, but they are pesky.

Migrant birds are passing overhead, sometimes in large numbers. European bee-eaters fly over again for the first time since March. We had an excellent Eurasian Golden Oriole near the park one morning. Common kestrels have become a regular sight as well. There were a couple days they seemed to be everywhere, even on the roofs of houses. Still, the residents are most visible. A male white-browed scrub-robin sings his song atop a brush branch, then flies a short distance to repeat the process. Other male birds of various species are doing the same; they are announcing their territories to other males and inviting females to join them. Male yellow-backed weavers, pin-tailed whydahs, and yellow bishops are now in full, bright breeding plumage.

November

The heavy rains continue. Some days it rains nearly all day, all night. Some days it may not rain heavily but it spits at us all day. On the days where you don’t see too much sun it gets cold, or what feels like cold, though it is nothing like the colds of more temperate climates. You do need a jacket to stay warm. 

When the rain stops and the sun shines, the drama of open sky and towering clouds stretch over the hills. Thousands of clouds, thousands of hills, seeming to roll on as far as the eye can see. That is, if a morning fog doesn't block the view!

Art and science collide!

Binoculars. Colored pencils. Early mornings. Rough drafts. In a world full of birds, art and science combine to make bird knowledge accessible.

Red-eyed dove - Streptopelia semitorquata) - Inumah

Agahozo-Shalom is rich in birds, and now its students can learn about them with a new poster illustrating more than 30 of the most common species.

The poster features drawings and the names of the birds in English, Latin (scientific), 
and Kinyarwanda. One of Rwanda's top bird guides (who is a native Kinyarwanda 
speaker) helped us to find the local names. A student artist completed 26 
of the species while Michele (the art teacher) completed 7 species. The poster is 
shown here in lower resolution because it is not yet ready for distribution.

Meet the artist: Rossi, a 9th grade student at ASYV, drew most the birds.
He was president of the student art club and spent his free time on
Saturdays and Sundays illustrating our feathered friends.

Cinnamon-chested bee-eater - Merops oreobates - Imisamanzuki

I used my field notes from over 100 bird walks at ASYV over the past year to determine which birds to include. All of the birds here are fairly easy to find and observe, although some of the visitors like African harrier hawk and black-headed heron are not always present. A few common birds such as tawny-flanked prinia, red-faced cisticola, and red-rumped swallow were excluded due to space constraints and/or difficulty of observation without binoculars. However, Michele and I donated a copy of Birds of East Africa (Stevenson and Fanshawe) to the library and several pairs of binoculars for anyone who wants to find out more information.

Speckled mousebird - Colius striatus - Umusure

Southern red bishop - Euplectes orix - Isawdi

The poster is in the science center and on an information sign at the nature park. Other groups who may see birds regularly (security and kitchen staff) have been given posters as well. The poster will hopefully be printed for display in other spots in Agahozo to help even more people learn about and enjoy the birds of Rwanda.

Saturday Service and the spirit of umuganda

You won't find a business open or a bus running from 7 am to noon on the last Saturday of the month in Rwanda. Instead, you will find nearly every citizen over 18 engaged in the community service program called "umuganda."

Agahozo students pose with the litter they cleaned up at a Saturday
Service event.

At Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village, we practice umuganda in a slightly different way. Every Saturday (and on Sunday for 7th Day Adventists), students participate in village-wide community service projects. One of my roles here this past year has been to coordinate these "Saturday Service" events.

ASYV students help clear the perimeter road around our village.

Students take action on the farm, in the kitchen, in special village projects, and at their homes. On the farm, for example, students prepare soil with pitchforks and hoes, assist with milking the cows, weed vegetable plots, or plant seeds. In the kitchen, students peel vegetables, wash dishes, or clean the dining room. When assigned to their homes, students maintain the yards, clean windows, and pull plants from the edges of the dirt roads. Village projects include planting trees, picking up litter, removing invasive species in the nature park, and cleaning the school.

ASYV students clean the school on a Saturday morning.

Activities around Rwanda are not dissimilar, with people often cleaning roads, assisting those less able with agricultural work, or beautifying an area. Participating in umuganda is mandatory (small fines can be levied for truancy); thus, it does not technically qualify as volunteering. Still, a population uniting in community service is powerful.

ASYV students chop and peel carrots in the kitchen.

There are about five million people over the age of 18 in Rwanda. Can you imagine what that force accomplishes, even just one half-day a month?

A classroom that had been used as a dumping room needed to be cleaned
for current use and next year's incoming class of students.

One Saturday morning, ASYV students transformed it into a place
 ready for study!

We have 375 students who participate for two hours (most on Saturday, with Adventists on Sunday) every week at Agahozo. In the twenty Saturday Service events I have coordinated, students have helped the village move forward by providing some 15,000 hours of service.

Students plant trees at Agahozo on a Saturday morning.

With a spirit of community, Rwandans are building their future.

Bringing the sausage tree to Agahozo

The sausage tree is found in a variety of habitats, including the open
plains of Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.

The sausage tree is a prominent tree of the African landscape. It is native to sub-Saharan Africa and can be found in nearly every country in that range. But you hardly see them in Rwanda.

The tree gets its English name because its fruits resemble giant sausages.
This picture is from one of the only Kigelia trees I have seen in Rwanda.

Kigelia pinnata is found in the surrounding countries Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Tanzania, and Burundi in savannahs and woodlands from 1100-3000 above sea level (I have seen it in both Uganda and Tanzania). Despite having the elevation and (at least formerly having the) habitat, I have only seen a few individuals of this species in Rwanda, all near the shore of Lake Muhazi, but I would guess it can also be found in Akagera National Park.

A sausage tree in a much more wooded habitat than the picture above,
in this case in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania.

Most of Rwanda’s native trees outside the parks, especially the big ones, have been cut and replaced by non-native eucalyptus trees, grevillea trees, crops, and banana plants. I suspect that Rwanda's sausage trees were cut in the past. Many non-native ornamental trees, like filau (Asia) and jacaranda (Central America), are promoted, sold regularly, and planted throughout Rwanda as well. To me the lack of hornbills outside the parks in Rwanda is indicative of the lack of big native trees (hornbills nest in cavities in old, larger trees). You do see hornbills regularly in the countryside of Uganda because there are still many big native trees scattered among farms.

A young sausage tree outside Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda.

I scoured all the Kigali plant nurseries I could in search of sausage trees, but I could not find a single plant. As I mentioned, mostly exotic species are planted here as ornamental trees (Spathodea campanulata, the African tulip, a native, is also a popular choice). Interestingly enough, sausage trees are used as ornamental trees in other African countries and even in Australia. The sausage tree provides dense shade and has large attractive maroon flowers. Its flowers are also a great food source for bees, so it makes sense to plant when you have beekeeping operations (as ASYV does). But again, you don’t see sausage trees in Rwanda where everyone seems to opt for exotics.

The fruit (left) and seeds (right) of the sausage tree.

I decided to try to bring the sausage tree to our hillside. We need both shade and flowers for our bees at ASYV. I collected seeds from a rotting fruit and got a not-yet-ripe sausage fruit to save and harvest later. Kigelia seeds are known to be quite difficult to cultivate. I have found that to be the case unfortunately. I have tried five different methods, including the recommended method without much success. Out of over 100 seeds, I have only gotten four to sprout, all through keeping them moist in plastic bags.

Two Kigelia plants just after sprouting.

We have planted two of the sausage tree seedlings in our nature park. The Environment Club and the students of Agahozo-Shalom work each week to protect our recovering woodland from non-native invasive species. We have two more seedlings and are contemplating whether to plant them or keep them in the nursery until they get much bigger.

A member of the ASYV Environment Club plants a sausage tree seedling
in the Agahozo-Shalom Nature Park.

Bringing the sausage tree to this hillside is a small step in the native reforestation of Rwanda. It is up to just four plants at this location, but if they grow and eventually fruit, the sausage tree may again be a fixture of this African landscape. 

Just the beginning! In 4-5 years, this tree should provide shade and
reach up to 5 meters.

Works consulted:

• Biggelaar, C. 1996. "Appendix: List of all tree (ibiti) and other plant sepcies cultivatedon the sample farms in the communes of Karama and Mabara." Farmer Experimentation and Innovation: A case study of knowledge generation processes in agroforestry systems in Rwanda. Food and Agriculture Organization. Accessed October 23, 2011 at http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/006/W2406E/W2406E10.htm
• "Kigelia pinnata." AgroForestryTree Database. World Agroforestry Center. Accessed October 23, 2011 at http://www.worldagroforestrycentre.org/sea/Products/AFDbases/AF/asp/SpeciesInfo.asp?SpID=1028

A birthday with gorillas

The dominant male silverback gorilla is singing HAPPY BIRTHDAY
to me in his loudest voice. Ok, he's actually just yawning.

It is nearly 11 am, and we have been hiking up the side of an ancient volcano for nearly two hours. As Michele, myself, a group of six others, and a guide clamber through stinging nettles, bamboo, and mud, my eyes light up and I grab Michele's hand.

There they are…

Volcanoes National Park is the only place in Rwanda where mountain
gorillas can be seen

I turn 28 this month. Michele and I wanted to celebrate our birthdays (her birthday was earlier this year) by doing something special. Tracking mountain gorillas was a gift to ourselves, and by paying for the fairly expensive permits, it was a contribution to the conservation of these phenomenal mammals.

Mount Sabyinyo in Volcanoes National Park and agriculture
leading up to its base, Rwanda

Mountain gorillas, Gorilla beringei beringei, are some of the rarest primates on the planet. Just about 680 individuals inhabit planet earth in the wild. They live in the forested mountains of just four national parks split between Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (three of these parks are connected, encompassing the Virunga range of volcanoes).

Bamboo forests are part of the habitat range of the mountain gorilla. This
picture was taken on Mount Karisimbi, about 2600 meters above sea level,
in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda.

There are different species of gorillas. The genus Gorilla actually composes two species and up to five separate subspecies. There are the Western gorillas (two subspecies in the lowland forests of Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, and the Central African Republic) and the Eastern gorillas (up to three subspecies: one in the lowlands of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the mountain gorillas in the volcanoes of the Virunga range, and a potential third subspecies in Bwindi Inpenetrable Forest, Uganda). It is not always easy to determine if one subspecies of animal is truly distinct from one another. In the case of gorillas, especially the mountain gorillas, they are populations separated by a sea of human habitation, and it is very possible they will never meet.

One of two babies in a set of twins. The other twin is below right,
out of view in this picture.

Mountain gorillas are distinct from other gorilla subspecies. Physically, “mountain gorillas differ from other gorillas in having longer hair, larger jaws and teeth, smaller nose, and shorter arms,” according to the University of Michigan’s Animal Diversity Web.

Eco-tourism is one major strategy in generating funds for conservation.

All gorillas are endangered. Habitat loss from agricultural expansion and logging cut short the areas available to gorillas. Hunting for bush meat, wars, and capture (for the pet and zoo trade) claim many gorillas every year. Gorillas are extremely similar to humans (96-98% of the same genetic material) and thus are susceptible to diseases that spread through our populations; Western gorillas, however, are particularly impacted by Ebola, which is not spread by humans. Gorillas invest a lot of time in their babies and although each pregnancy is only about 8.5 months, mature female gorillas give birth once every 4-5 years. All of these negative forces combine with the slow birth rate to give gorillas a grim outlook for the future.

So similar to humans... what goes on behind those glowing eyes?

Gorillas depend on the conservation of suitable habitat and migration corridors to connect populations. Gorillas need to be protected from hunting for meat, from being collected as pets, and being murdered as targets by military groups. If we want gorillas around, they may also need our help combatting Ebola (in the West) and other diseases. With animals that have small populations, like the mountain gorillas, every individual is an important target for conservation. 

We observed gorillas doing what they do, living their lives. They
ate, yawned, slept, cleaned their fingers, and pooped. We even
saw a mother nurse her baby! They were very peaceful and did not seem
to mind out presence (of course, these gorillas are habituated).
Research on non-habituated gorillas has found then to be gentile and
generally peaceful.

Eco-tourism is one promising strategy in helping protect the gorillas and their habitat. As research and practical experience has shown in many projects, when people, especially local people, realize a financial incentive to conserve, they protect wild places and wild animals. With some 20,000 people visiting Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda a year (mostly to track gorillas), there are significant opportunities.  Volcanoes National Park employs 180 people directly and provides employment for another 800 local residents indirectly. All the people who visit hire drivers, stay at hotels/guesthouses, and stop at restaurants. While there is still much room to improve the livelihood of local residents, eco-tourism centered on the gorillas provides tens of millions of dollars to the Rwandan economy each year.

Gorillas live in small groups, dominated by a male silver back. The group
of mountain gorillas we visited (Susa group) on Mount Karisimbi, had a
total of just over thirty individuals, including three silverbacks (one
dominant). This group represents 8% of the gorillas in the Virunga range
or about 5% of the total mountain gorilla population.

As I turn 28, I am thrilled to see these icons of African wildlife and one of the closest relatives to our species. But I wonder if some day my future kids, when they reach this age, will be able to see gorillas. Will gorillas exist in the wild or will they be mythical creatures in movies or just another extinct animal in books and museums? This is the century where humans will decide the fate of many species on this planet.

I am displaying this photograph large because it is my favorite and it needs to be big. If any shot of mine was close to capturing the experience, this is it. At one point I counted 22 gorillas in sight (never in a single picture frame). Try to count the gorillas in this picture and post your answer below.

Works consulted

• Kingdon, J. The Kingdon Pocket Guide to African Mammals. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2004.
• Lindsley, T. and A. Sorin. 2001. "Gorilla beringei" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed October 02, 2011 at: http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Gorilla_beringei.html.
• Nielsen, H. and Spenceley, A. 2010. "The Success of Tourism in Rwanda- Gorillas and More." World Bank. Accessed October 2, 2011 at: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/AFRICAEXT/Resources/258643-1271798012256/Tourism_Rwanda.pdf
• O'Neil, D. 2011. "Primates: The Taxonomy and General Characteristics of Prosimians, Monkeys, Apes, and Humans." Behavioral Sciences Department, Palomar College. Accessed October 2, 2011 at: http://anthro.palomar.edu/primate/Default.htm
• Robbins, M. & Williamson, L. 2008. Gorilla beringei. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.1. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 02 October 2011.
• Walsh, P.D., Tutin, C.E.G., Oates, J.F., Baillie, J.E.M., Maisels, F., Stokes, E.J., Gatti, S., Bergl, R.A., Sunderland-Groves, J. & Dunn. A. 2008. Gorilla gorilla. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.1. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 02 October 2011.

Alien invasion!

Flowers of Lantana camara. Look closely- each one of those blooms is
a small flower on a bigger 'head.' Each head can have up to 20 flowers.

I have met the enemy, and its name is Lantana.

Lantana camara is a plant species originally from Central and northern South America. Sixty years ago this beautiful plant was still in its native range, but it was taken to Europe as an ornamental. People then took it around the world, and now sixty countries or major islands are grappling with its effects on their ecosystems.

Lantana thick and tall in Agahozo-Shalom Nature Park, 7:30 am one morning.
You can barely make out the tree inside.

Lantana is all over East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi). On our hillside in Rwanda, outside of landscaped and cultivated areas, Lantana is the dominant plant. You pass it on the way to the dining hall and school, you sit near it in the amphitheater, and you see it in Parike W’Agahozo (Agahozo-Shalom Nature Park). In the park especially, where we are promoting the growth of native species, Lantana is a major problem; it is a non-native (alien), invasive species.

The same view of the tree as above five hours later with Lantana removed.
There is still more to remove from the back and sides, and several stumps
still need  to be removed. Clearing Lantana from this tree was particularly
tricky because there are swarms of honeybees that live in it!

Most non-native plants do not cause problems. Generally plants are adapted to a certain climate, soil type, variety of pollinators, and other environmental factors and thus do not succeed outside of their established range. Some plants are extremely tolerant of different conditions. It is these plants that can become problematic when they are introduced to new areas. They can have devastating consequences when other plants, animals, bacteria, and all the forms of biodiversity are not adapted to such a new factor. Lantana outcompetes the local plants and quickly forms a dense monoculture of Lantana. Any associated animals must either move on from their former habitat or adapt to living with Lantana.

The small shark-tooth shaped thorns that can make removing Lantana
tough on the hands, arms, and any other part of the body they scratch.

To understand Lantana’s imposing grasp on the landscape, we need to examine its biology. Lantana is a flowering plant that produces fruits. These small berries are eaten by birds (other animals) and are spread through their feces. This takes Lantana far and wide across the landscape.

Lantana fruits

Once the seeds germinate, they grow quickly. In just its second growing season, Lantana can produce flowers. The flowers are very small, but grow on heads that can contain twenty flowers per head. A mature plant “flowers prolifically” and can produce 12,000 seeds annually.

I counted 87 flower heads (assuming just 10 flowers per head, that is 870
flowers). Each one of these flowers may produce a fruit. Now, try to count
the heads that have already fruited. You get the picture.

In addition to its reproductive attributes, Lantana grows quickly and shades out all other species in an area. In shaded areas, their shoots grow tall and sprout leaves above the cover. They can grow thick stems that lean on trees and within just a couple years, they can completely shade out a 3 meter tree. Taller trees in a dense forest may prevent Lantana growth, but in an area that is being reforested like Parike W’Agahozo, Lantana will plague native regrowth until the trees are tall enough to shade it out.

Lantana regrowth, just two months after we cut away the rest of the plant.
Because of its ability to regrow quickly, we have to remove the roots.

It is difficult to estimate how much Lantana is in the 1.7 hectares of Parike W’Agahozo. Mature plants might be easy to count, but many younger plants have small stems and number in the 1000s. Young plants that have sprouted in the past year number in the tens or hundreds of thousands.

A student uses a saw to cut Lantana.

Upon realizing the depth of the problem, it became apparent to me that without mitigation, the park would become a protected place of Lantana, a stronghold for it to continue its spread. In order to plant native trees and to conserve the native species we already have, we had to get rid of the Lantana.

Students removing the roots of Lantana.

But is not as easy as cutting it down. Lantana can grow back from any part of itself. We have to remove the roots to fully disrupt Lantana regrowth. Agahozo-Shalom students participate in removing Lantana from the park each Saturday. Our tools include hand saws, pruners, hoes, pitchforks, and gloves. We have removed maybe half the Lantana in the park, but we have a long way to go.

Students participate in Lantana removal each week.

Looking back on my photographs of birds at ASYV, it is telling that a large number of them are on Lantana branches. I do not believe we can fully remove Lantana from East Africa. What we can do is find the places that need protection the most, like parks and Important Bird Areas, and make sure that Lantana does not invade them. We also need to educate people outside these areas to certainly not plant Lantana, but also to remove it and favor other plants so we can reduce its spread.

In the much bigger picture, we cannot blame the plant. We brought this plant here. We transport invasive species all over the planet. Everyone in every environment can promote native species and help stop the spread of non-native, invasive species.

Works Consulted

• "Invasive Species in Eastern Africa: Proceedings of a workshop held at ICIPE, July 5-6, 1999." UNEP Convention on Biological Diversity. Accessed September 29, 2011 at http://www.cbd.int/doc/meetings/cop/cop-05/information/cop-05-inf-33-en.pdf
• Walton. C. "Lantana camara." Global Invasive Species Database. Accessed September 29, 2011. http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=56&fr=1&sts=
• “Invasive Pest Fact Sheet: Lantana camara.” Asia-Pacific Forest Invasive Species Network. Accessed September 29, 2011. http://www.fao.org/forestry/13375-06ba52ce294a4e15f8264c42027052db0.pdf
• “Pest Plants- Lantana camara.” Rwanda’s the Eye Magazine. Accessed September 29, 2011. http://www.theeye.co.rw/pestplants.php.php