Rwandan Students Tour Gishwati Forest

Thanks to a Great Ape Trust conservation effort, more than a dozen Rwandan students had a unique opportunity this summer to learn about a very special place close to their hearts - Gishwati Forest.

First a little background:  Situated in Rwanda's Western Province, the once decimated Gishwati Forest is slowly but steadily making a comeback because of an ambitious chimpanzee conservation and forest restoration initiative. It's called the Gishwati Area Conservation Program (GACP) and was created in 2008 by Great Ape Trust, Earthpark and the Rwandan government following a commitment at the 2007 Clinton Global Initiative.

Under the leadership of Dr. Benjamin Beck,  the Rwanda initiative - known as the "Forest of Hope" - has succeeded because of a simple but unwavering belief.

"We cannot save a small population of chimpanzees in a tiny pocket of rain forest if we neglect the people who live near that forest," Beck said.

With that in mind, 15 eco-clubs have been created in primary and secondary schools surrounding Gishwati. The goal of GACP is to generate environmental literacy and environmental activism among the next generation of Rwandans.

This summer, students in eco-clubs from Kinihira, Nyabirasi and Nyagahinika secondary schools hiked the eco-tourism trail into the heart of the Gishwati Forest, guided by the Community Engagement Manager, Faustin Gashakamba and a Peace Corps volunteer.

"This is an important part of our community outreach program, to show the young people living around the Gishwati Forest the beneficial activities of GACP," said Gashakamba. "This goes a long way in mobilizing the surrounding communities to support the program."

Preparations are underway for the 2011 conservation competiion between primary and secondary schools around the Gishwati Forest.  This year, the eco-clubs will focus on activities that improve their schools and communities such as cleaning school grounds and planting trees.

The eco-clubs' conservation competition in 2009 focused on the preservation of Gishwati Forest with students conveying their messages through dance, song, poetry and drama.  The event was documented by members of Great Ape Trust visiting Rwanda.  Please view The Forest Is In Good Hands slideshow (see below), the video (click here) and the blog (click here).

To donate to Rwanda's Forest of Hope, go here.

GACP BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The Gishwati Area Conservation Program began in late 2007 when H.E. President Paul Kagame and Great Ape Trust and Earthpark Founder Ted Townsend pledged at the Clinton Global Initiative meeting to found a “national conservation park” in Rwanda to benefit climate, biodiversity and the welfare of the Rwandan people. Great Ape Trust is a scientific research center in Des Moines, Iowa and Earthpark is a proposed national center for science-based ecological literacy and immersive learning for students, educators and visitors.

The Gishwati Forest Reserve’s history of deforestation extends over 50 years, in part because of ill-advised large-scale cattle ranching projects, resettlement of refugees after the genocide, inefficient small-plot farming and the establishment of plantations of non-native trees.  As a result, the area has been plagued with catastrophic flooding, erosion, landslides, decreased soil fertility, decreased water quality and heavy river siltation – all of which aggravate a cycle of poverty.