Rwanda’s Gorilla Conservation Enters New Phase as Population Grows
Rwanda’s decades-long effort to save the mountain gorilla is entering a new phase, with authorities increasingly focused on how to protect a growing population while ensuring that communities living around Volcanoes National Park benefit from conservation.
The message emerged on Friday, September 4, at the 21st Kwita Izina Gorilla Naming ceremony in Kinigi, Musanze District, where 22 baby mountain gorillas were officially named under the theme “Conservation is Life: Sustaining the Future.”
The ceremony brought together government officials, conservationists, local communities, tourism stakeholders and international guests to celebrate Rwanda’s conservation achievements while looking ahead to the work required to sustain them.
Prime Minister Justin Nsengiyumva said Rwanda’s experience in the Volcanoes Mountains demonstrates that protecting nature cannot be separated from improving people’s lives.
“Protecting nature cannot be separated from improving people’s lives, just as national conservation efforts cannot be separated from international cooperation,” Nsengiyumva said.
He pointed to the dramatic recovery of the mountain-gorilla population as evidence of what sustained conservation efforts can achieve.
In the early 1980s, only about 250 mountain gorillas remained in the Virunga Massif, according to the Prime Minister, after poaching, habitat loss and social conflicts had pushed the species towards extinction.
Today, more than 1,000 mountain gorillas are estimated to exist globally, including more than 600 in the Virunga Massif.
The recovery, he said, was not accidental but the result of decades of work involving rangers, veterinarians, researchers, government institutions, conservation organisations, communities, the private sector and international partners.
“Rwanda’s experience here in the Virunga Mountains is tangible proof of this concept,” Nsengiyumva said, referring to the connection between conservation, development and cooperation.
“Because a name for us is more than a celebration. It is a promise,” he added.
The 22 gorillas named Friday bring the cumulative number of gorillas named through Kwita Izina since the ceremony began in 2005 to 460, according to the Prime Minister.
Nsengiyumva said the country intends to invest in science and technology to respond to climate and health risks affecting conservation, while ensuring that communities sharing the landscape have the opportunities and resources needed to sustain it.
From gorilla protection to community development
As Rwanda’s gorilla population grows, authorities are increasingly emphasizing the need to ensure that communities living around Volcanoes National Park also see tangible benefits from conservation.
The Prime Minister said mountain gorillas and the tourism they attract have helped strengthen the socio-economic fabric of surrounding communities by creating jobs, supporting local businesses, attracting investment and opening opportunities for families and young people.
He cited the recently launched construction of the Smart Green Village, an investment of more than US$49 million that is expected to provide modern housing, essential services and sustainable livelihood opportunities for 547 households affected by the expansion of Volcanoes National Park.
The initiative, he said, reflects Rwanda’s position that conservation and human development should move together.
“We are determined that these lessons of mutuality will remain at the heart of our new chapter,” Nsengiyumva said.
The Rwandan government has been expanding Volcanoes National Park to provide additional habitat as the mountain-gorilla population grows, while simultaneously putting measures in place to support people affected by the expansion.
Jean-Guy Afrika, Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), said the park expansion is intended to increase habitat for growing mountain-gorilla families while also supporting neighbouring communities through housing, infrastructure, services and economic opportunities.
“Protecting nature and improving people’s lives must go together,” Afrika said.
He described the 22 births celebrated at this year’s Kwita Izina as evidence of what sustained commitment, strong institutions, community ownership and international partnerships can achieve.
Afrika said the mountain gorilla remains the only great ape whose population is increasing, with more than 1,060 individuals in the wild.
But he cautioned that the achievement was built over many years and will require continued vigilance, long-term investment and partnerships across generations.
For Rwanda, that means protecting gorilla habitat while responding to wider threats such as climate change and biodiversity loss.
Conservation benefits reaching surrounding communities
The Northern Province is already seeing economic and social benefits linked to conservation and tourism around Volcanoes National Park, according to Governor Maurice Mugabowagahunde.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mugabowagahunde said communities living around the park have increasingly understood the value of protecting the area and its wildlife.
He said revenue generated from the park is shared with surrounding communities through projects including housing construction, livestock support, schools, health centres, clean-water infrastructure and other development initiatives.
Since the programme began, 740 community projects worth Rwf8.6 billion have been supported across 12 sectors surrounding Volcanoes National Park in Burera, Musanze, Nyabihu and Rubavu districts, he said.
The communities are also expected to receive nearly Rwf2 billion this year from park-generated tourism revenues, according to the governor.
“These benefits from tourism are why we will continue encouraging our communities to protect the security of this park, the gorillas within it and biodiversity,” Mugabowagahunde said.
He added that tourism linked to Volcanoes National Park has contributed to development not only around the park but also in urban centres such as Musanze and Rubavu, as well as along the Kigali-Musanze-Rubavu corridor.
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