Nyungwe National Park

Rising above the shores of Lake Kivu in southwestern Rwanda, Nyungwe National Park is the largest montane rain forest in Africa. The Park covers more than 1000 square kilometers of rugged terrain, spanning an altitudinal range from 1600 to 1950 m. (5200–9680 feet). It is covered with a complex mosaic of diverse vegetation types —from tall, closed-canopy forest to open, flower-filled marshes. This variety of plant life is accompanied by an equally rich assortment of animals, most notably the many species of colorful birds and monkeys. Nyungwe’s overall biological diversity has earned it a place on many lists of priority sites for conservation in Africa. The diversity of life found in Nyungwe is due to a combination of several ecological factors. First, as the Ice Ages caused the drying of lower-altitude African forests as recently as 10,000 years ago, the mountainous backbone bordering the western branch of the great African Rift served as a moist refuge to forest plants and animals. Nyungwe constitutes a significant portion of this lush, central core, which subsequently served as a source for re-colonization of the central African lowland forests existing today. Second, the forest is situated in a region where several large-scale biogeographical zones meet. This results in a unique and diverse assemblage of species originating from Tanzania, the Ethiopian region, and the Congo Basin.   Finally, the varied topography, different soils, and broad altitudinal range found in Nyungwe provide a great span of microhabitats for many different species of plants and animals to cohabitate. Tall, complex forest covers the more fertile soils, and is particularly pronounced in moist valleys. Dry ridges support smaller trees, often combined with thickets. Bamboo blankets much of the extreme southeastern portion of the park. Flooded forests, marshes, and open herbaceous slopes are interspersed throughout. The fauna of Nyungwe reflects this floral diversity. The park contains at least 275 species of birds, many of which are found only in dense forest. Thirteen types of primates reside here, including rare owl-faced monkeys and hundreds of endangered eastern chimpanzees. Black and white colobus monkeys travel in groups of up to 400 individuals. Groups this large are extraordinary for this species or any arboreal primate. Many other mammals such as leopards, servals, genets, hyrax, bush pigs, and duikers live in Nyungwe, but they are less numerous and tend to be much more difficult to observe. Aside from preserving the diverse flora and fauna in Nyungwe, conservation of the forest is important for scientific and sociological reasons, too.

Biological Importance
Nyungwe Forest is important for the conservation of several restricted-range species that are only found in the Albertine Rift ecoregion in Africa. Nyungwe is home to 26 Albertine Rift endemic birds, more than any other protected area in the rift region and rivaled only by the unprotected Itombwe Mountains. Two bird species are endangered, three vulnerable, and three near threatened under IUCN (The World Conservation Union) criteria.  Plant species totaling 1068 have been recorded in Nyungwe, of which approximately 250 are endemic to the Albertine Rift A total of 85 mammal, 278 bird, 32 amphibian and 38 reptile species have been recorded for the park. Within these four taxa, 62 species are endemic to the Albertine Rift. A comparison of Nyungwe with other forests in the Albertine Rift shows that for all taxa this forest consistently ranks high. Its number of endemic species is more than in any other forest in the Albertine Rift that has been surveyed for all these taxa (about 60% of forests).

Socio-economic Importance
Nyungwe Forest acts as the water catchment for about 70 percent of Rwanda. As such, it protects a major watershed for surrounding communities as well as those further downstream. People living near the forest experience longer periods of rain each year, supporting their farming activities around the forest. Streams that flow from Nyungwe feed into the Nile and Congo basins. People living around Nyungwe live at some of the highest densities (250-500 / km2) to be found on the continent. The buffer zones that surround much of the forest have been planted with pines to generate income for the local community. Residents harvest firewood and building poles from this planting. Local herbalists harvest medicinal plants from the forest, and bee-keeping associations install their hives at the edge of the park to produce superior-quality honey. Tourism in Nyungwe generates some revenue for the national parks and benefits Rwanda’s economy at large. Local communities sell crafts to tourists; WCS has helped create a link between the local craft makers and Partners in Conservation, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that buys crafts to sell in the USA. At present, 124 people are employed by the conservation activities in Nyungwe; about 80% of them come from the communities adjacent to the park.

Threats
Nyungwe faces several major threats, which stem from the high human pressure around the forest and the need for more land or alternative sources of income. Poaching of large mammals is rampant, which has resulted in very low duiker densities; the extirpation of buffalo as of the early 1980s, and the extinction of the park’s last elephants as of 1999, when they were shot during a period of instability. Hunters now target smaller mammals, such as giant rats and squirrels, because they cannot find larger ones. Fires caused by people wanting to smoke bees from wild hives have spread, devastating large parts of the forest during El Niño years, when the climate is particularly dry. Many hills have few or no trees as a result. At times, mining of gold and, more recently, columbo-tantalite have led to the creation of large mining camps in the forests (some containing more than 3,000 men). The high birth rates of the local population and the lack of land outside the forest have also contributed to the threat of encroachment.

WCS Strategies
In Nyungwe National Park, WCS assists ORTPN in long term conservation and management of the forest by training field-based staff (managers, guides and rangers), rehabilitating tourism infrastructure and marketing, and developing an outreach program and dialogue between park staff, local leaders, and communities. In addition, WCS conducts vital management-oriented research in Nyungwe, including studies of primate ecology, a census of chimpanzees, studies on forest dynamics and regeneration, and monitoring of mammals and birds, including surveys by park rangers. Outside the borders of the park, WCS staff carries out socio-economic surveys of the communities in the parishes adjacent to the forest. The information from these surveys will be applied to a management plan for the new national park, including the identification of zones designated for full protection, tourism, and possible local, sustainable harvesting of forest products. Details can be found on the Nyungwe-specific pages under the Section Topics heading on the left.