Assessing the Impact of Ecosystem Restoration on Community Livelihood: A Case of Gishwati-Mukura National Park in Rwanda

Ecosystem degradation, along with high population expansion, has had a substantial influence on community livelihoods, resulting in global ecosystem restoration projects. Using a feedback framework for strategic adaptive management, a research was done to analyze the impact of ecosystem restoration of Gishwati-Mukura National Park on community livelihoods. This assessment is critical to establishing successful strategic adaptive management. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining surveys and geographical analysis for quantitative data (analyzed with SPSS) and interviews for qualitative data (analyzed with ATLAS.ti). The findings show that, whereas restoration initiatives aimed largely to restore biodiversity, vegetation structure, and ecosystem services, there was little emphasis on livelihood-driven outcomes. As a result, a revised livelihood framework is provided, emphasizing a more inclusive approach to restoration that incorporates both ecological and human-centred goals. The updated framework highlights the importance of aligning ecosystem restoration activities with sustainable development goals in order to improve community livelihoods, promote climate change mitigation and adaptation, and assure long-term sustainability. Given the reliance of rural populations on ecosystem services for survival, balancing competing demands for resource allocation and livelihood sustenance is critical. It is proposed that adopting both the assessment-reflection-feedback framework and the livelihoods framework into restoration efforts will emphasize human well-being alongside ecological restoration.