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.

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.

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.