Rwanda
We have worked in Rwanda’s Virunga mountains since YEAR. Most recently, we returned as the Rwandan government’s partner of choice in a flagship program to link conservation to economic growth and climate resilience. The way forward puts people at the heart of a pioneering plan that enhances community livelihoods and quality of life while restoring the park to ensure gorillas have room to thrive.
Rwanda’s government has developed mountain gorilla tourism into a world-class product vital to Rwanda’s economy. With this success comes a challenge: the expanding gorilla population requires more forest, even as surrounding agrarian communities seek diversified, expanded economic opportunity. Rwanda’s answer is conservation investment that builds community resilience, creates jobs, and grows the economy.
The groundbreaking plan, which could serve as a global model, calls for the following:
- Transition the economy of the Volcanoes landscape through investments in high-value crops agriculture, tourism, forestry, and other nature-based industries
- Restore approximately 37 square kilometers of degraded portions of Volcanoes National Park
- Improve the socioeconomic opportunities and benefits for more than 17,000 Rwandans (3,400 families)
- Improve sustainable, conservation-based tourism experiences and economic benefits for Rwanda and Rwandans
- Create a land-use buffer of 66 square kilometers around the park
See how we are working to support a green, sustainable future for people and wildlife in Rwanda. Watch below.
AWF in Action
Creating Space for People and Gorillas
AWF and its partners are connecting conservation with sustainable economic development in Rwanda, from expanding and restoring Volcanoes National Park to supporting communities with new livelihood and enterprise opportunities.
Protecting Gorillas, Empowering Communities
In partnership with communities and the Rwanda Development Board, AWF is helping to restore critical habitat around Volcanoes National Park while ensuring that local people are meaningfully involved in the decisions that shape conservation. Through negotiated land agreements, fair compensation, resettlement support, and livelihood opportunities, communities are contributing to the restoration and protection of habitat for Rwanda’s mountain gorillas while strengthening their own resilience.
Strengthening Conservation Through Science
We are working with the Rwanda Development Board and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund to introduce environmental DNA (eDNA) monitoring in Volcanoes National Park through the TUI Wildlife Programme, supported by the TUI Care Foundation. By analyzing genetic traces found in water and soil, Rwandan conservation professionals can detect a wider range of species and changes in ecosystem health that traditional monitoring may miss.
Our strategic, implementing, and funding partners include:
Wildlife We Are Protecting
We’re supporting and monitoring populations of mountain gorillas in the Virungas Landscape. Other species that benefit from our conservation interventions in this landscape include the golden monkey, spotted hyena, buffalo, savanna elephant, black-fronted duiker, and bushbuck.
