RWANDA: Rwanda’s Wilderness In The Heart Of The City

While most cities battle with urban sprawl and the lack of truly wild spaces, the city of Kigali in Rwanda is planning a major greening project in the heart of the city.

A new €2.7 million plan is being developed to create a large eco-tourism park just a short drive from the city’s main international airport. The wetlands park will be around 130 hectares in size, and will be developed over the next three years, according to the local government.

City planners are hoping it will become a paradise for bird lovers, with Rwanda already considered one of the best locations for birding in the world. Despite the country’s comparatively small size (about the size of Belgium) – it is home to more than 700 different bird species in its dense forests, mountains, and wetlands. The new plan will also see walking and cycling trails developed alongside bird hides and leisure fishing ponds.

The Nyandungu Wetland park as it will be known, will also feature picnic areas, a café, and a spot specially designated for wedding photos.

The area had slowly been encroached on by development, with cattle grazing in the wetlands, and also the illegal development of garages and other light industry. Under the new plan, the site will be protected in an attempt to return it to its former glory as a vibrant wildlife habitat. Rwanda has emerged from its violent recent past with tourism playing a key role in getting the country’s economy back on its feet.

Many travellers are attracted by the opportunity to see rare mountain gorillas in their natural habitat in the famous Virunga Mountains.

With the opening of the eco-tourism park in Kigali however, visitors can still get a taste of Rwanda’s wilderness without even leaving the city. For those heading into the country, there are three different national parks to visit: Akagera, the location for a lion reintroduction programme; the Nyungwe rainforest, home to thirteen different primate species, and Volcanoes National Park.

RWANDA: Preserve Nyungwe Park

40 per cent of fresh water in the country, the furthest source of River Nile and contributor of 30 per cent of national tourism revenue and you get Nyungwe National Park.

But all this is now threatened by poverty, say officials and conservationists. According to the two groups, it is poverty that is pushing members of the communities around the park into poaching and illegal mining.

Such unauthorised activities are a risk to biodiversity conservation in the natural forest, which plays a key ecological and economic role not just to the country but also to the region.

Now an anti-poaching campaign has been launched to sensitise the communities surrounding the park to get involved in conservation efforts.

One such member of the community is Bosco Nkezahayo, a former poacher from Nyamasheke district, who told Rwanda Today that poaching was his main source of income for 13 years.

“I used to make money out of poaching to buy cooking oil and salt,” he said after an anti-campaign launch, where 150kg of elephant tusks, weapons used in poaching and equipment used for illegal mining were burnt in a symbolic event to fight poaching.

According to Nyungwe park manager Louis Rugerinyange, 1kg of elephant tusks is sold at $2,500 on the black market.

Most animals targeted are boars and duikers but the forest also hosted elephants which have been extinct, the last was seen in 1999. Elephant tusks were seized as they were trafficked through the country.

Mr Nkezahayo said many poachers have formed co-operatives for income generating projects but there are still others who are involved in illegal wildlife activities.

“Because when he easily gets around Rwf7,000($9) per week, he stays and attracts others,” he said.

The 1,020-square kilometre Nyungwe Forest stretches across five districts and Burundi (where it’s called Kibira).

Experts root for economic empowerment in ending poaching and other illegal wildlife activities.

According to the tourism revenue sharing programme, five per cent of tourism revenues goes to community development around parks.

Nyungwe receives 30 per cent, Akagera 30 per cent and Virunga, the biggest attraction, receives 40 per cent.

“Five per cent is not enough but it helps the communities around the park,” said Mr Rugerinyange.

Funds from the revenue sharing programme are invested in income generating projects such as bee keeping and community development initiatives such as education and clean water access.

“The key conservation challenge around the park is the high population density and poverty levels that is why we put our efforts a lot to try to help them get out of that,” said Mr Rugerinyange.

Lest year, 9,560 tourists visited Nyungwe park, a number the authorities hope will increase this year the number will increase as last year total number is about to be reached before the high season which is December holidays.

RWANDA: RwandAir Choses Names For New Airbus A330 Aircraft

The #YiteNawe competition, launched by RwandAir some weeks ago to received broadbased proposals for the names of the airline’s first ever wide body aircraft due for delivery next year, has drawn to a close.

Yesterday did RwandAir publicly announce the winning nominations, being ‘Murage’ by Thierry Hakizimfura and ‘Ubumwe ‘ by Therese Ayinkamiye. Broadly translated will the first name signify ‘Inheritance’ while the second name chosen stands for ‘Unity’ – two key words with a huge significance to the new Rwanda which has emerged in recent years. The two brand new aircraft will join the RwandAir fleet in September and December 2016 respectively and then permit the airline to launch long haul flights from Kigali to China, India and Europe.

With two more new Boeing B737-800NG SkyInterior also joining Africa’s fastest growing airline with the youngest fleet on the continent, is speculation rife that aircraft already on the registry and the additional Boeings may also eventually be named and drawing names relevant to the country’s number one economic sector, tourism, would be the most likely source. Rwanda’s national parks, Akagera, Gishwati-Mukura, Nyungwe and Volcanoes would make splendid advertising for the attractions the Land of a Thousand Hills holds while others could be drawn from the country’s scenic attractions, like Lake Kivu or the names of the five volcanoes which make up the national park itself.