[01] Jean Paul Muzezayo, Faculty of Environmental Studies, University of Lay Adventists of Kigali, Kigali, Rwanda. [02] Lamek Nahayo, Faculty of Environmental Studies, University of Lay Adventists of Kigali, Kigali, Rwanda. [03] Egide Hakorimana, Faculty of Environmental Studies, University of Lay Adventists of Kigali, Kigali, Rwanda.

The use of Geographic Information System (GIS) is important, almost in every field since it enables users to efficiently and accurately collect the spatial data and ensure their monitoring. The Bugesera district similar to other parts of the eastern Rwanda suffered the impact of serious prolonged drought from 1999 to 2000, and such famous disasters are mostly provoked by climate change triggered by forests degradation as one of the most causes. This raised the concern of community forestry management through afforestation and re-afforestation in Bugesera district. The authors recognized this fact and then chose to assess the benefits and challenges associated with GIS application in forest management mainly in Bugesera district as the case study. The results approved the potentiality of GIS in the monitoring and management of forest since it helped the authors to detect change son forest cover which was recorded from 2000 to 2020. The recorded change on forest cover was mainly attributed to rapid growth of human population and development of infrastructures. From the findings of this research, it can be noted that GIS helps to analyze the change detection of forest cover, monitoring of the available forest resources. The technology also, can help policy makers to understand local communities’ contribution to forest degradation and best ways of involving them (its local knowledge) in the planning and management of how to exploit forest resources.

Bugesera District, Forests Sustainable Management, Monitoring, Rwanda

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