The Nyungwe Forest is located in southwestern Rwanda, near the border with Burundi. It is next to Kibira National Park to the south, Lake Kivu, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. The Nyungwe rainforest is likely the best-preserved highland rainforest in Africa. It is located in the area between the Congo River basin to the west and the Nile River basin to the east. One of the sources of the Nile River also begins on the east side of the Nyungwe Forest.

Nyungwe Forest was created in 2004 and covers about 1,019 square kilometers (393 square miles) of rainforest, bamboo, grasslands, swamps, and bogs. The nearest town is Kamembe, Rwanda, which is 54 kilometers (34 miles) to the west. Mount Bigugu, which is 2,921 meters (9,583 feet) tall, is inside the park. In October 2020, the Rwanda Development Board signed an agreement with African Parks to manage the forest for 20 years. In September 2023, Nyungwe Forest was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Wildlife

The Nyungwe forest is home to many different types of animals, which makes it very important for protecting wildlife in Africa. This forest is located in an area where several large regions with different types of land and plants meet. These differences create many small habitats that support a wide range of plant and animal life.

The park has 13 species of primates, which is 25% of all primate species in Africa. It also has more than 300 bird species, including 30 that are found only in the Albertine Rift area. There are 1,068 plant species, 85 mammal species, 32 amphibian species, and 38 reptile species in the park. Many of these animals live only in the Albertine Rift montane forests, which are a specific area in Africa. In fact, more unique species are found here than in any other surveyed forest in the Albertine Rift Mountains. The forest reaches a height of 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) and is especially important for its groups of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and Angola colobus (Colobus angolensis). The Angola colobus is no longer found in Angola because of heavy hunting.

• Common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)
• Ruwenzori colobus (Colobus angolensis ruwenzori)
• L'Hoest's monkey (Cercopithecus l'hoesti)
• Silver monkey (Cercopithecus doggetti)
• Golden monkey (Cercopithecus kandti)
• Hamlyn's monkey (Cercopithecus hamlyni)
• Red-tailed monkey (Cercopithecus ascanius)
• Dent's mona monkey (Cercopithecus denti)
• Vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus)
• Olive baboon (Papio anubis)
• Grey-cheeked mangabey (Lophocebus albigena)

History

Nyungwe Forest Reserve was created in 1933 by the Belgian colonial government. In the 1920s, the colonial government noticed that more forest was being turned into pasture. Laws in Rwanda protected forests from being cleared for farming, but allowed local people to collect firewood and permitted the cutting of valuable hardwood trees for commercial use. These rules were not always followed, and people continued to use the forest for hunting, gathering honey, cutting wood, farming for food, and mining gold.

Rwanda became independent in 1962, and the government’s Ministry of Agriculture took charge of managing the country’s forest reserves. Between 1958 and 1973, Nyungwe Forest lost more than 150 km² due to fires, woodcutting, hunting, and small-scale farming. Nearby Gishwati and Virunga forests were also reduced in size during this time. In 1969, hundreds of elephants still lived in Nyungwe. In 1974, hunters killed the last buffalo in the area. In 1984, Nyungwe was divided into sections that allowed for the careful use and harvesting of timber. The Government of Rwanda created a plan for a buffer zone, which remains visible today. In 1984, surveys by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and RDB found colobus monkeys in groups as large as 400, a rare event. In 1987, a trail system was started at Uwinka. In 1994, war and genocide severely damaged the country, destroying many research and tourist facilities in Uwinka. Most senior staff members left, but many junior staff stayed to protect the park. The park began rebuilding in 1995, though security remained unstable. In 1999, poachers killed the last elephant in Nyungwe’s swamp area.

Revenue and economic impact

Nyungwe National Park is expected to earn about FRw 4,800,000,000 in 2025, helping Rwanda's economy grow. African Parks manages the park and works to bring in investments and support eco-friendly tourism. About 45–50% of visitors are from Rwanda, and 35–40% are from other countries. Plans are being made to encourage tourists to stay longer and spend more money. The money earned helps protect wildlife, build roads and facilities, and create jobs. The goal is to ensure that economic growth and environmental protection work together over time.