'Si ibyanjye gusa, ni igihugu cyanjye' – Nsengimana wahembewe gutuma Abanyarwanda bongera kubona imisambi

Umunyarwanda Dr Olivier Nsengimana uherutse guhabwa igihembo cya Whitley Gold Award 2025 kubera umuhate we mu guca ubushimusi bw'imisambi mu Rwanda yabwiye BBC ko iki gihembo atari ishema rye gusa ahubwo no ku gihugu cye n'Abanyarwanda muri rusange babigizemo uruhare.

Kuva mu myaka irenga 20 ishize, imisambi – yakundaga kuboneka henshi mu bibaya mu Rwanda - yaragabanutse ku buryo bugaragara, kubera kwiyongera kw'abaturage, ubuhinzi, imiturire, kuyishimuta, kuyigurisha, no kuyitunga mu ngo kuri bamwe.

Nsengimana, umuganga w'inyamaswa, yashinze kandi akuriye ikigo Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association cyashyize imbaraga mu kuvana imisambi mu ngo z'abantu, kubungabunga ubuturo kamere bwayo, no kurwanya ubushimusi bwayo.

Imisambi yari yaragabanutse cyane kugeza ubwo mu Rwanda habarwaga igera kuri 300 gusa yari isigaye, Nsengimana avuga ko ubu imisambi ibarirwa hafi ku 1,300.

Yabwiye BBC ati: "Mu myaka 10 ishize twakoze iyo bwabaga kugira ngo imisambi ibashe kwiyongera ku buryo Abanyarwanda bongera kuyibona, itazacika mu gihugu cyacu."

Guhagarika ubushimusi bw'imisambi no kubungabunga aho iba kugira ngo ibashe kongera kororoka yiyongere, ni bimwe mu byagendeweho ahabwa igihembo mu cyumweru gishize.

Ni igihembo yahawe n'ikigo cyo mu Bwongereza Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) agishyikirizwa n'Igikomangoma Anne, mushiki w'Umwami Charles III. Iki gihembo giherekejwe n'amapawundi £100,000 (hafi miliyoni 190 Frw) yo gufasha ibikorwa by'ikigo cya Dr Nsengimana.

Agira ati: "Ni ibintu bishimishije cyane, icyo nabasha kuvuga nuko si ibyanjye gusa, ni igihugu cyanjye, ibi twagezeho ntabwo twari kubigeraho tudafite leta yashyizeho ingamba zo kurengera ibidukikije, n'abaturage kuba barabigize ibyabo bakavuga bati 'ni imisambi yacu, ni urusobe rw'ibinyabuzima byacu'.

"Ikindi navuga ni abantu dukorana bakunda ibyo bakora kandi bakora cyane, iki gihembo ni icyanyu.

"Iki gihembo kijyanye n'ibyo twabashije kugeraho, ariko nanone n'ibyo twifuza gukomeza gukora".

Kubona iki gihembo, Nsengimana avuga ko biva kandi ku muhate w'Abanyarwanda muri rusange "uburyo bitabira" ibikorwa byo kubungabunga ibidukikije.

Ati: "Ni ukuvuga ngo ni ahantu hacye kw'isi ushobora kubona umusaruro nk'uyu mu gihe gitoya, hari ibihugu tuba tuganira abandi tuvugana bakatubaza bati 'Ni gute mwabashije guca ishimutwa ry'imisambi?' 'Ni gute imisambi yabashije kwiyongera muri iki gihe gitoya?'."

Henshi ntibacyumva imisambi ihiga

Imisambi ni inyoni zitimuka ngo zijye kure cyane, zishobora kuva hamwe zikajya ahandi hafi bitewe n'ikirere, ibiribwa byezeyo, cyangwa kuba haboneka uburyo bwo kwarika yo.

Umusambi ni inyoni ishobora kugera ku burebure bwa metero imwe, ikunda kuba ku nkengero z'imibande, ibibaya, inzuzi, n'ibiyaga aho yororokera kandi igatungwa no kurya ibimera n'ibihingwa bimwe na bimwe, imitubu, ibikeri, n'izindi nigwahabiri.

Ariko kubera kwiyongera kw'abaturage, no guhinga cyane ibibaya n'imibande, byatumye aho imisambi yarikaga hagabanuka. Kuri ibi hakiyongeraho ubushimusi n'ubucuruzi bwayo ku bantu bayitunga mu ngo zabo kubera ubwiza bwayo.

Ku mihana myinshi yakundaga kubona imisambi no kuyumva ihiga [guhiga: kuvuga k'umusambi] ubu si ko bikimeze, nk'uko abaturage mu bihugu byo mu karere babivuga.

"Muri Afurika y'iburasirazuba, imisambi yagabanutse ku kigero giteye ubwoba cya 80% mu myaka 25 ishize, nk'uko Adalbert Ainomucunguziwo mu kigo International Crane Foundation (ICF) muri Afurika y'iburasirazuba yabibwiye BBC.

Mu myaka ya 1970, Uganda yishimiraga kuba ifite imisambi irenga 100,000 ariko uyu munsi habarurwa igera ku 10,000 gusa nk'uko ikigo Nature Uganda kibivuga.

Uko kugabanuka mu karere, kimwe n'ahandi kw'isi, kwatumye mu 2012 ikigo Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) gishyira imisambi y'ikamba ku mutwe mu moko y'inyoni zigeramiwe no gucika burundu.

Kubungabunga imisambi mu karere kose

Dr Nsengimana yabwiye BBC ko mu ntego bafite ubu harimo kugerageza gufatanya n'abandi bakora nk'ibi mu karere kugira ngo izi nyoni zisanzure.

Ati: "Mu byo twabonye ni uko imisambi itazi imipaka, igihe kinini iraguruka ikajya muri Uganda, Tanzania, mu Burundi…turifuza gutera indi ntambwe dukorana na bagenzi bacu muri ibyo bihugu ku buryo tubasha kubungabunga imisambi birenze umupaka."

Henshi muri ibi bihugu mu byanya imisambi yabonekagamo abaturage bavuga ko batakiyibona, hari impungenge ko ishobora no gucika.

Muri Uganda, aho imisambi iri mu by'ibanze bigize ibirango by'igihugu, irengerwa n'itegeko aho kwica umusambi bihanishwa igifungo cya burundu cyangwa ihazabu ya miliyari 20 z'amashingi ya Uganda (miliyoni 5$).

Gusa nk'uko imibare ibigaragaza imisambi muri icyo gihugu, kimwe no mu bindi birimo u Burundi na Tanzania, imisambi igeramiwe no kugabanuka gukomeye.

Nsengimana avuga ko ubu batangiye kuvugana n'ibigo nka Nature Uganda, Nature Tanzania ndetse na International Cranes Foundation, kandi ko barimo kureba umuryango witwa ABN mu Burundi.

"Ku buryo twafatikanya kwigira hamwe icyo twakorera hamwe ku bijyanye n'ibibangamiye imisambi kugira ngo tubungabunge iyo misambi n'indiri yayo kamere", nk'uko abivuga.

Dr Nsengimana amaze guhabwa ibihembo birenga bitanu kubera umuhate wo kubungabunga imisambi birimo icyo yahawe mu 2018 cya Whitley Award.