To gain a better understanding of social–ecological resilience in Burundi, a country facing increasing demographic and climate-induced pressures, this study aimed to identify local perceptions of resilience and list disturbances experienced by rural communities that undermine social–ecological resilience. Focus group discussions explored possible challenges for the nexus of (1) rights–governance–knowledge and (2) access to ecosystem services–restoration–conservation. Theme clusters emerging from the focus groups were structured from political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal perspectives to identify major stakeholder concerns. Then, this study applied an indicator-based assessment tool designed for development projects in production landscapes. Questionnaire results revealed the absence of income diversity, limited adaptation strategies, and a large prevalence of climatic and agricultural disturbances among rural households. The study findings underscored substantial variations between the different study regions. To enhance the adaptive capacity of local communities, policy-making should focus on diversification within and beyond agriculture, supported by adequate extension services. Adequate ecosystem governance is necessary to maintain or restore the remaining ecosystems, given their pivotal role in social–ecological resilience.
This article is based on experiences of SECORES and its partners in Burundi and the fruit of a collaboration between
- SECORES members (CEBioS, Join For Water and Louvain Coopération);
- University of Burundi (Prof. Jacques Nkengurutse and Olivier Nkurikiye);
- Burundian Office for Environmental Protection (Longin Ndayikez); and
- Open University of The Netherlands, Department of Environmental Sciences (Prof. Jean Hugé)
It was published in Land on 21 November 2025. Land is an international, cross-disciplinary, peer-reviewed, open access journal on land system science, landscape, soil and water, urban study, land–climate interactions, water–energy–land–food (WELF) nexus, biodiversity research and health nexus, land modelling and data processing, ecosystem services, multifunctionality and sustainability, and is published monthly online by MDPI.