Rwanda is trying to balance its development goals, increasing population and conservation efforts.
Rwanda is trying to balance its development goals, increasing population and conservation efforts.
The government recently declared Gishwati Forest Reserve its fourth park. The new park is located in Western Province. Other parks are Akagera, in Eastern province, Virunga in Northern Province and Nyungwe in Western Province.
“When you compare with other countries, the population density around the parks is high, we are not doing well. In Zambia and DR Congo for example, they have about six people per square kilometre. Here we have around 400 people per square kilometre,” said Michel Mazozera, country programme director of the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Speaking at a media briefing recently, Mazozera said linking conservation efforts with economic development is one of the key challenges the country is facing. “There are many pressures facing protected areas, but we are trying to deal with them,” he said.
For instance, at Gishwati-Mukura park, villagers are now growing crops at the edge of the forest. The Rwanda Development Board plans to create a buffer zone between the surrounding population and the park. The zone will be between 500 and 1,000 metres.
The new park covers a total surface area of 3,427.46 hectares – Gishwati Forest (1,439.72 hectares) and Mukura Forest (1,987.74 hectares).
According to the Wildlife Conservation Society, Nyungwe National park is the largest remnant of mountain forest in East Africa with a total area of 1,000 square kilometres. The park contains endemic species and plays an important role in national and regional hydrology.
Mountain gorilla tourism is a major contributor of revenue for the country. The population of mountain gorillas is estimated to be about 400 in Rwanda and 900 in the whole Virunga massif (DR Congo, Uganda and Rwanda).
However, infrastructural developments around national parks could see the number of mountain gorillas declines.
