Rwanda is the watershed for the White Nile and Congo river, but until now the rain water ran straight off the hillsides, eroding soil and famine became a possibility. Because the government intervened early, little serious erosion occurred, the hydro-electric dams are filling up and the hillside is revegetated.

Rwanda's environmental restoration

What is ecological restoration? How will it change lives in the developing world? Leading Open University academics Joe Smith and Vince Gauci introduce this three part film ‘Hope in a Changing Climate’ which focuses on restoration projects in China, Ethiopia and Rwanda. Local villagers work together to rebuild the ecosystem which in turn has restored their environment. By changing their farming practices and re-vegetating these barren lands farmers are significantly improving their way of life. Additional video tracks include interviews with Rwandan president H.E. Paul Kagame and the Wang Family, a success story from China's Loess Plateau. 

Hope in a Changing Climate, is a new documentary co-produced by The Open University and EEMP for BBC World, with support from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), The Open University, The Rockefeller Foundation, and the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture and The World Bank.

© Environmental Educational Media Project (EEMP) 2009