Joseph Bizimungu is the executive director of Association Burundaise pour la protection de la Nature (ABN), an organization based in Burundi founded in 2000. The organization aims to create a country that lives in harmony with nature through the equitable use of natural resources, working in areas such as conservation, sustainable development, and habitat restoration.
His love for the environment stemmed from being constantly immersed in nature throughout his childhood, from watching over his cows to swimming in nearby rivers to playing hide and seek in the forest with friends. This appreciation for nature has stuck with Joseph in the back of his mind throughout his entire professional career, every job opportunity leading him closer and closer to his goals.
Joseph has held a number of different positions since graduating from the University of Burundi in 1998, starting out in the education sector as a biology teacher and later becoming a headmaster of a secondary school.
Because Joseph wanted to support local communities, but in a different capacity, he moved on to a humanitarian role at a local non-governmental organization (NGO), working on social projects to help refugees and children dealing with homelessness.
ABN working with local schools in their conservation efforts
However, Joseph continued to hold on to his lifelong dream of working in the environmental sector.
“All this time, I was thinking about protection of nature because I dreamed to one day be a defender of nature and natural resources”, Joseph says.
In 2015, Joseph’s career path took a turn in the right direction. ABN posted an announcement about an open position for a new project assistant, and Joseph jumped at the opportunity. Within these past few years, Joseph has made great strides in his environmental career, eventually coordinating his own projects with great success and being appointed executive director.
Joseph is very grateful for the opportunities that working in ABN has provided for him. He is excited to be able to work with an amazing team of individuals who share his passion for protecting the environment and making a positive impact in society. Joseph likes to say that ABN has trained him to be the person and environmentalist he is today.
Joseph’s favorite part about his job is being able to constantly gain skills and knowledge by connecting with different people in the environmental space from all around the world, including the team here at the Global Climate Pledge.
“I am happy to meet experts in different areas such as wetlands, habitat restoration, climate change, and reforestation,” Joseph says. “We are proud of supporting the communities.”
Joseph is extremely happy with the work that ABN is able to do for the country of Burundi. With the guidance of Joseph, ABN intervenes in protected areas to prevent poaching and reduce pressure on these areas, distribute fruit bearing trees to combat hunger and increase food security, and increase watershed management to fight against soil erosion.
One aspect of ABN’s work that is particularly important to Joseph is the involvement of local communities in the conservation efforts. The organization helps sensitize the community to the effects of climate change and how to address these changes, such as growing climate resistant crops and adapting to rising temperatures.
ABN promotes biodegradable packaging to avoid plastic pollution
Unlike many environmental organizations in less developed countries, ABN does not deal with government interference in their various projects and actually works closely with government agencies.
However, like many NGOs around the world, ABN struggles with lack of sufficient financial means to fund the organization’s projects. Amidst political problems in the country and the Covid pandemic, donors became reluctant and funding became scarce causing the amount of projects conducted to decrease significantly.
Nevertheless, Joseph is extremely dedicated to his work at ABN, not allowing these obstacles stop him from achieving his dreams. And what keeps him motivated?
Simply put, Joseph says “I miss the world.”
However, sometimes, Joseph must make tough decisions on what aspects of his life to prioritize, as his personal values may interfere with his work. Being a very family oriented man, Joseph may have to visit sick family members or take his children to the hospital. Though his love for his family may override his love for the environment, he never stops believing in the importance of sustainability, especially for future generations, like his children.
“We are part of the environment. We depend on the environment. What we eat, the water we drink, whatever we get to live is from the environment,” Joseph says. “I have to care for it because my life depends on it.”
Joseph wants to remind us about one thing:
“If we don’t care about our environment, it will not care about us.”
