History of Nyungwe Forest National Park.
The history of Nyungwe Forest National Park is quite interesting, and this article will uncover the historical facts of Nyungwe Forest National Park, which makes it one of the most visited parks in Rwanda. Located in the southwestern region of the country, it is one of Africa’s oldest tropical rainforests, believed to have existed since before the last ice Age over 60 million years ago. This ancient forest has survived major climatic shifts, making it one of the most biologically rich and ecologically important areas on the continent. In 1903, the German colonial government declared it a national forest reserve and a colonial crown land.
During this period, the number of people who lived around the reserve increased historically. Nyungwe was considered sacred by local communities who relied on it for water, traditional medicine, and cultural rituals. The forest’s high rainfall and dense canopy also form the source of many rivers that feed the Nile and the Congo basin. The presence of people became a threat to the forest; they initiated illegal activities such as poaching wild animals, cutting down trees, and encroaching on the forest, which resulted in a reduction of the forest from 1040 square kilometres to 1018 square kilometres. Due to the political instabilities that the country had led to the killing of mammal species in the park, the last buffalo was killed in 1974, and the last forest elephant was killed in 1999.
In 1985, the history of Nyungwe Forest National Park says that the Wildlife Conservation Society started a protection program of the Nyungwe Forest in collaboration with the Rwandan government. All economic activities that took place in the forest, such as trading and mining, were abolished to focus on creating tourism products in the forest. This project for conserving the forest was named Project de Conservation de la forest de Nyungwe (PCFN). Later, they started long-term projects such as primate habituation for tourism purposes. The Wildlife Conservation Society confirmed the first group of colobus monkeys with over 400 individuals in Nyungwe, and construction of trails in the park began.
A survey of plants, birds, butterflies, mammals, and amphibians was conducted, and construction of tourist facilities, though they were destroyed in 1994 during the Genocide. In 1995, the reconstruction of Nyungwe Forest was reinstated until 2004, when it was declared a National Park by the Rwandan government and became the third National Park in the country after Akagera National Park and Volcanoes National Park. Today, the history of Nyungwe Forest National Park stands as a symbol of Rwanda’s commitment to conservation and eco-tourism, attracting visitors eager to explore its pristine trails, ancient trails, and hidden waterfalls.
