Rwanda’s Rwigamba as the new head of the regional tourism body

Rica Rwigamba who is the leader of Tourism and Conservation department at the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) juts won her self a new position after she was appointed as the new chairperson of the Greater Virunga Tran boundary Collaboration which is composed of Rwanda, DR Congo and Uganda, the three countries where you can find the most endangered primate species of the Mountain Gorillas.

Rwigamba has come after Dr Cosma Wilungula who has served for two years and he is also the leader of DR Congo’s Institute of Congo for the Conservation of Nature. During her very first speech as the leader of GVTC in Kampala, Uganda, she said that she will ensure that there is better law enforcement so as to have better management of the wildlife ecosystems in the region for the good of all the 3 countries.

In her own words she said “I will strengthen the achievements we have already registered and I will work towards having a legal mechanism like a treaty signed by all the countries to enhance collaboration. It is anticipated that there are over 880 Mountain Gorillas in this forest which is shared by the 3 countries and this total is almost half of the total number of the primates in the entire world.

Basing on the information that was given by International Gorilla Conservation Project after their research, the number of mountain Gorillas increased from 380 that they were in 2003 to 480 gorillas by 2010 that is in volcanoes, Mgahinga and Virunga national parks alone.

Only in Bwindi Impenetrable Park in Uganda, there was an increase between 2005 and 2012 from 340 to 400 gorillas that according to the report compiled. Meanwhile, Andrew Seguya who is the boss at the Uganda Wildlife Authority says the increase was as a result of the improved health ecosystem in the region which favors the survivor of the gorillas.

GVTC opened in 2005 with its headquarters in Kigali and has since worked together as member countries to address the Trans boundary problems like poaching, insecurity, human-wildlife conflicts and wildlife diseases, among so many others in an effort to improve on the industry and be able to yield more revenue out of it.

Gorilla tracking news