Wilderness Safaris and AWF announce conservation partnership
Correspondent | Tuesday July 25, 2017 15:51
Volcanoes National Park represents a remarkable story of recovery for Critically Endangered mountain gorillas, with the Park receiving ongoing support from government and the Rwandan Development Board (RDB). With the recent launch of Wilderness Safaris Bisate Lodge neighbouring the Park and a pioneering reforestation project well underway, with nearly 15,000 indigenous trees already planted to date, AWF and Wilderness Safaris have joined forces to support RDB to effectively protect the Park’s buffer area.
“Rwanda’s commitment to conservation of wildlife is extraordinary and should be replicated across Africa. We are excited to partner with Wildness Safaris as one of the Africa’s leading tourism operators to ensure the long-term protection of Rwanda’s Critically Endangered mountain gorilla and its habitat. We cannot maintain ecological services in isolation, and AWF has long worked hand-in-hand with private sector partners to advance conservation and sustainability”, said Kaddu Sebunya, AWF President.
Since 2009, Wilderness Safaris has contemplated how its ecotourism model could contribute to the conservation of the Virunga Massif ecosystem and an iconic species like the mountain gorilla. “When we made the decision to invest in Rwanda, the last thing we intended to do was just to build a boutique lodge and sell gorilla treks”, said Wilderness Safaris CEO, Keith Vincent. “We wanted to ensure that our brand of responsible ecotourism made a real difference to both rural Rwandan people and biodiversity conservation. Where wilderness and wildlife can prove a commercial or social value, they generally garner support for their existence. Nowhere is this maxim more apparent than around Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park”.
“The signing of this agreement with AWF is the culmination of two years of discussions and planning that will significantly enhance our ability to make a difference. Together we will collaborate to actively expand the area of the Volcanoes National Park, to reforest this land and then ultimately to donate the land back to the government of Rwanda for inclusion in the national park.
We are excited at the potential of this project to increase the mountain gorilla population as well as the populations/numbers of a host of other endemic Albertine Rift wildlife”, he concluded.