The LAFREC project, responsible for the restoration of Gishwati-Mukura National Park, announces that it will hand over the project to the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) no later than 2017.
Patrick Nsabimana, the director of LAFREC, says that the work of restoring and fencing the park, protecting the rivers that flow through it, cutting down erosion barriers and developing the 2,500 residents who live there has begun and will be completed by then.
In 2015, tourism generated over $315 million, or over 250 billion Rwandan francs. RDB says it has set a goal of increasing tourism revenue by at least 25% annually.
When the Gishwati-Mukura Park is opened, it will increase the number of tourists coming to the province of Buergerazuza, thus increasing foreign exchange. The bill establishing the Gishwati-Mukura National Park was approved by the House of Representatives on 02nd September 2015.
The President of the Republic, Paul Kagame, subsequently signed the law and it was published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Rwanda on 01 February 2016.
The LAFREC project, a project under the Rwanda Environment Management Agency (REMA), aimed at restoring the natural beauty of forests, has begun work to restore some parts of the park that were damaged by mining.
Activities have been initiated to protect the park and assist the residents. Nsabimana confirms that these activities will be completed in 2017. At that time, they will hand it over to the RDB, which has parks under its responsibility.
It is expected that in 2020, the Gishwati-Mukura Park, located in the Ngororero and Rutsiro Districts, will be included in the list of international biodiversity hotspots.
The Gishwati Forest is a forest located in a series of high mountains in western Rwanda. It is one of the forests located in the mountains that make up the Congo-Nile system, which also includes forests such as Nyungwe.
Mukura Forest is located in the northwestern part of Rwanda. Years ago, it was part of a large natural forest that started in northern Rwanda in the Volcanoes Park and went down to where Nyungwe is now.
Currently, the Gishwati and Mukura forests have been merged to form the fourth national park, the Gishwati-Mukura National Park. It covers an area of 3558 hectares.
The Gishwati-Mukura National Park is home to a large biodiversity. The park is also an economic engine for its residents.
The Gishwati-Mukura Park is home to a rich biodiversity, including endemic plants, animals and birds. Among the species found in the park are many species of monkeys.
There are also over 60 species of endemic trees, including the giant baobab and the uragana.
