Philbert TUYISABE

Philbert Tuyisabe, a 33-year-old Rwandan, is a professional in landscape restoration, biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, and community development, with proven expertise in both rural and urban contexts. He is highly skilled in smart agriculture, land husbandry (radical and progressive terraces), and tree nursery development, including the large-scale production of native, exotic, and fruit tree species, as well as shrubs that enhance soil fertility, structure, and carbon sequestration.

Philbert holds a Bachelor’s degree in Crop Production from the University of Rwanda, an Advanced Agriculture Certificate from Kinneret College in Israel, and is currently completing a Master’s degree in Environmental Economics and Natural Resources Management at UNILAK University, Rwanda. Building on a strong agricultural foundation since secondary school, he has accumulated over 10 years of experience leading and coordinating impactful Nature-based Solutions (NbS) projects. His portfolio spans agroforestry, reforestation, afforestation, urban tree planting, and crop value chain development in coffee, tea, and vegetables. Between 2012 and 2019, he contributed to several national initiatives, including the Natural Forest Micro-Catchment Project and Improved Woodlots around Gishwati-Mukura Natural Forest and Agroforestry in southern province.

Since joining the Albertine Rift Conservation Society (ARCOS) in 2020, Philbert has risen through multiple leadership roles. He worked as a Community Extension Officer on the carbon project Agroforestry for Livelihoods in Northern Province (2020–2021), coordinated the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem (WEFE) Nexus Project funded by GIZ (2021–2022), and managed the Living Lakes Biodiversity and Climate Project funded by the Global Nature Fund (2022–2024). From July 2022 to 2023, he served as Landscape Manager for the Western Province (Rutsiro, Karongi, and Ngororero Districts), overseeing all ARCOS projects in the region.

In January 2024, Philbert was appointed Tree Growing and Landscape Restoration Specialist, coordinating ARCOS’ restoration portfolio and managing the Scaling Urban Nature-based Solutions for Climate Adaptation in Sub-Saharan Africa (SUNCASA) Project in the City of Kigali. This project promotes gender-responsive NbS to strengthen urban resilience, restore watersheds, conserve biodiversity, and break barriers for women and other underrepresented groups in climate adaptation.

Currently, Philbert serves as Conservation Programme Manager at ARCOS, where he provides technical leadership and oversees the implementation of 11 projects and one programme, including two major carbon finance initiatives: the Agroforestry for Livelihoods (A4L) Project, funded by the Livelihoods Fund and registered under Verra, and the MuLaKiLa Project in Western Province, registered under the Gold Standard and funded by Reforest’Action (RA) and AstraZeneca (AZ).