Gishwati Forest is located in the north-western part of Rwanda, near Lake Kivu. It is part of Gishwati–Mukura National Park. In 1978, the area’s forests were mostly intact, and by 1986, much of the forest cover remained. During the Rwandan genocide, many refugees arrived in Gishwati Forest and began clearing it for subsistence farming. By 2001, only a small circular area of native forest remained, about 1,500 acres (6.1 square kilometers) of the forest’s original 250,000 acres. This led to a significant loss of biodiversity, as well as soil erosion, poor soil quality, and landslides. In recent years, reforestation efforts have increased the remaining native forest to about 2,500 acres (10 square kilometers). Large tea estates are now located in the central and northern parts of the reserve.
History
The Gishwati Forest was once part of a large network of rainforests in central Africa. It stretched west beyond Lake Kivu, connecting to the rainforests of the Congo, and south to Nyungwe Forest. Over time, these forest systems became broken into smaller pieces because of more people and deforestation. The Rwandan genocide caused more stress on the area when refugees fled, and more people moved there when they were forced to leave their homes. However, the land had already been damaged for many years before the genocide. The area was harmed by cattle ranching and farming until the land could no longer support these activities. Problems like erosion, landslides, poor water quality, and poor soil health happened because of this damage.
The Gishwati Area Conservation Program (GACP) started in 2007 with help from Rwandan president Paul Kagame and the Great Ape Trust, which was created by philanthropist Ted Townsend. The plan was to create a national conservation park in Rwanda to protect the variety of living things in the Gishwati Forest area and slow the damage to the land. In 1930, the Gishwati Forest covered 70,000 acres, but it lost about 90 percent of its forest cover. This program aimed to fix the large loss of forest cover over the past decade, so the area was named the Forest of Hope. In 2011, the GACP was replaced by a Rwandan nonprofit group called the Forest of Hope Association, which now manages the Gishwati Forest Reserve (GFR).
Since the Forest of Hope program started, the size of the Gishwati Forest has grown by 67 percent. The local chimpanzee population has increased, and many research and conservation efforts have taken place in the reserve. The Gishwati Area Conservation Program hoped that eventually the Rwandan government would take over the area and make it a national park. In 2015, the forest was officially made part of Gishwati-Mukura National Park.
Biodiversity
The cutting down of trees in the Gishwati Forest has caused a major loss of plant and animal life. Animals have decreased by 99.7%. Plants that are important to the lives of local people have also declined greatly. Wild fruits have dropped by 93.3%, wild vegetables have dropped by 99.6%, and wild plants used for medicine by local people have dropped by 79.9%.
The forest has 58 types of trees and shrubs, including many native hardwoods and bamboo. A recent study showed that the most common tree in undisturbed areas is Macaranga kilimandscharica. In areas of the forest that were previously damaged but are now recovering, trees like Carapa grandiflora, Entandrophragma excelsum, and Symphonia globulifera are growing. Other plants in the reserve include giant tree ferns and blue lichen.
Many types of animals live in the reserve. Four primate species are present: the Eastern Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurtii), the golden monkey, the blue monkey, and the L’Hoest’s monkey (also called the mountain monkey). A fifth primate, the black and white colobus, was last seen in 2002. There are now about 20 East African chimpanzees in the forest, which is a 54% increase from the 13 chimps counted in 2008. This group includes five baby chimpanzees. Dr. Plumptree found that the average number of chimpanzee nests is 1.473 per square kilometer. Other mammals include the red river hog (Potamochoerus porcus), black-fronted duiker (Cephalophus nigrifrons), southern tree hyrax (Dendrohyrax arboreus), serval (Leptailurus serval), and African golden cat (Caracal aurata).
The forest is also home to 84 bird species, including the white-headed wood hoopoe (Phoeniculus bollei) and mountain yellow warbler (Iduna similis). Amphibians like the brown forest frog and several toad species live there. Reptiles such as the great lakes bush viper and multiple chameleon species also live in the Gishwati Forest.
In 2020, the Gishwati-Mukura National Park was named a World Biosphere Reserve during the 32nd meeting of the International Coordinating Council of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme.
Tourism
In 2019, Gishwati Forest officially became part of the Gishwati-Mukura Forest National Park. The national park includes two areas: Gishwati Forest and Mukura Forest. The Gishwati Forest area is managed by three groups: the Rwanda Development Board, Wilderness Safaris, and Forest of Hope. The Rwanda Development Board is responsible for managing all national parks in Rwanda. Wilderness Safaris handles tourism activities in Gishwati Forest, and Forest of Hope manages reforestation and conservation efforts in the same area. Mukura Forest is not open to visitors, while Gishwati Forest opened to visitors on December 1, 2020. The main activity for visitors is chimpanzee tracking, but other wildlife such as golden monkeys, serval cats, and near-endemic bird species can also be seen.
The Forest of Hope Guest House opened to the public in 2020. Visitors must stay at the guest house to enter Gishwati Forest National Park. The guest house has two twin rooms with private bathrooms and a campsite. It also offers meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The guest house is located on a hill with views of the forest. Since Gishwati Forest became a national park in 2019, all visitors must be accompanied by a guide during their activities. Guides are provided by the Rwanda Development Board, and local animal trackers come from nearby villages. Official permits are required to visit the park. As of 2021, a chimpanzee tracking permit costs US$100. Permits and guides can be arranged through the park office or the Forest of Hope Guest House. If traveling with a tour operator, these arrangements are included in the tour price.
Chimpanzee tracking takes place in Gishwati Forest and begins early in the morning. Visitors must stay at the Forest of Hope Guest House to participate. There are about 30 chimpanzees in the forest, and these chimpanzees are not used to being around people, making tracking more challenging than in other forests. There are three hiking trails in Gishwati Forest. The Umushwati Trail goes through the forest and is 8 kilometers long. The Waterfall Trail starts near the guest house and is 7 kilometers long. The Matyazo Hill Trail is 3 kilometers long and leads to the highest point in the park at 2,469 meters. This trail can be combined with the Umushwati Trail.
Conservation
A small group of chimpanzees from eastern Africa lives in the Gishwati Forest. This area might be used to test new ways to protect wildlife and their habitats. By 2008, the chimpanzee group had only 13 members and was very close to disappearing. From 2008 to 2011, the group grew by 46%, reaching 19 members, because of work done by the Rwandan government and the Gishwati Area Conservation Program. Efforts like those used to help the chimpanzees in Gishwati may help protect other great apes worldwide. The Gishwati Forest is important to hundreds of thousands of people in Rwanda who live nearby. The forest helps keep the soil healthy and stops it from washing away. In the future, the forest may help Rwanda’s economy by attracting visitors interested in seeing its diverse wildlife.
In 2011, Plant-It 2020 gave money to the Gishwati Area Conservation Program, part of the Great Ape Trust, to plant 1,000 native trees in and around Gishwati-Mukura National Park. Plant-It 2020 is a nonprofit organization focused on planting trees worldwide. It was started by the late singer John Denver.
A new area of 10,000 acres with planted trees may one day connect Gishwati Forest to Nyungwe National Park, which is about 30 miles to the south. This connection would allow animals to move between the two protected areas and help chimpanzees share genes. The project has received support from Rwanda’s Ministry of Lands and Environment because the new trees will help collect and clean water, stop soil erosion, make soil healthy again, and support ecotourism.
Reforestation
In December 2020, the Gishwati sector worked with Wilderness Safaris Rwanda (WSR) and the Forest of Hope Association to create a nursery with 10,000 native trees near the park. By the end of 2020, these trees were planted across 10 hectares of Gishwati-Mukura National Park. Since the 1970s, the size of Gishwati has decreased by 98%, leading to environmental damage, loss of the variety of plants and animals, soil erosion, and landslides. Rob Baas, the managing director of WSR, stated that to help restore the forest, it was necessary to plant native plants and protect the park's wildlife.