IMAGE:
G
ETTY
RWANDA’S FOREST OF HOPE
THE FOREST SAFARI
Gishwati-Mukura National Park, a rewilding
project near Lake Kivu, is Rwanda’s newest
national park and biosphere reserve. Rwanda
lost thousands of acres of precious rainforest
to unsustainable farming in the 1980s and
1990s, due to inadequate environmental
protection, population growth and the 1994
genocide, which turned a shocking number of
people into desperate refugees. By the early
2000s, less than 1 % of Gishwati Forest — part
of the national park — remained.
Environmental protection expert Madeleine
Nyiratuza was determined to turn the situation
around. Having conducted her Master’s
research on ways to conserve Gishwati, in 2012
she set up community-based conservation NGO
the Forest of Hope Association (FHA). She felt
that to save Gishwati, solutions had to be found
to problems such as villagers letting their cattle
in to graze, or losing their maize crops to hungry
chimpanzees. “I reasoned that the communities
living around the forest should have a sense
of ownership of it and responsibility for its
management,” she says.
To achieve this, the FHA had fi rst to recruit
‘eco-guards’, create ‘eco-clubs’ at local schools
and start replanting trees. Offi cial protection
followed: Gishwati-Mukura National Park
was created in 2015 , and it was declared a
UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 20 20. The
long-term goal was always to establish it as a
centre of excellence for community-managed
forest ecotourism, and with the Forest of Hope
Guest House & Camp Site open to visitors
since December 2020 , this plan is taking
shape. Compensating local communities for
losing access to the forest has been part of
the process, with the Rwandan government
investing over £210,00 0 on improving
livelihoods in 20 21.
Excitingly, it’s also home to a thriving
community of wild chimpanzees. Forest
safaris can play a key role in protecting rare
habitats and helping to prevent biodiversity
loss, landscape erosion and drought. In
Gishwati-Mukura, launching activities such
as hiking, birdwatching, chimp-tracking and
golden monkey-watching will be a crucial step.
Meanwhile, chimps and trees have increased
in number, and ecotourism specialist
Wilderness Safaris plans to build the park’s
fi rst luxury lodge.
How to do it: Forest of Hope Guest House
& Camp Site, in Rutsiro, off ers doubles from
US$275 (£225) and camping from US$ 20 (£16).
arwanda.org
Top 3 gorilla trips
BEST FOR:Western
lowland gorillas
Odzala-Kokoua National Park and
the nearby Ndzehi Concession
(both in the Republic of the
Congo) are home to the world’s
highest concentration of western
lowland gorillas — smaller than
their mountain-dwelling cousins.
congoconservation.travel
BEST FOR:Mountain gorillas
Opened in 2019, One&Only Gorilla’s
Nest, in Volcanoes National Park,
is one of Rwanda’s latest ultra-
luxurious forest lodges. Book two
day permits to fully appreciate the
experience. Afterwards, unwind
with spa treatments scented with
local herbs, roses and coffee.
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BEST FOR:Gorilla conservation
The Ellen DeGeneres Campus
of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund
opened in February 2 022. The
talkshow host and her wife Portia
de Rossia were major funders of
the mountain gorilla research
and education centre. Book a
tour of the research labs, browse
exhibitions, and refuel at Gorilla
Café. gorillafund.org/ellencampus
The best new safaris offer expert
insight into conservation projects that
aim to protect Africa’s habitats
Mountain gorilla in
Rwanda Volcanoes
National Park
JUL/AUG 2022 85
SAFARI
