According to the Wildlife Economy Investment Index report, Rwanda has been named 6th in Africa for wildlife conservation, scoring 56.7%. The Wildlife Economy Investment Index report, yet to be officially launched, indicates the investment potential in Africa’s wildlife economy. It assesses five significant investment avenues within ecotourism, the carbon market, hunting, wildlife ranching, and forest products.
Rwanda’s tourism revenue rose by 171%, from US$164 million in 2021 to US$445 million recorded in 2022, according to the 2022 annual report by the Rwanda Development Board (RDB). This growth represents an 89% recovery compared with the pre-COVID-19 pandemic period. Tourism is a major source of Rwanda’s foreign exchange earnings and tends to generate more formal sector jobs than other sectors. Within the tourism sector, nature-based tourism, which accounts for 80% of leisure and business visitors in Rwanda, not only helps protect biodiversity and advance Rwanda’s efforts to adapt to climate change but also plays an important role in job creation.
A visit to Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park is unforgettable. Situated in the far northwest of Rwanda, Volcanoes National Park protects the steep slopes of this magnificent mountain range – home of the endangered mountain gorilla and a rich mosaic of montane ecosystems, which embrace evergreen and bamboo forest, open grassland, swamp, and heath. Rwanda is one of the fastest-growing tourist destinations in the world. The tourism sector in Rwanda is more than 80% nature-based, indicating that ecotourism forms a substantial part of the tourism sector.
Volcanoes National Park is named after the chain of dormant volcanoes making up the Virunga Massif: Karisimbi – the highest at 4,507m, Bisoke with its verdant crater lake, Sabinyo, Gahinga, and Muhabura. Some of these volcano mountains are shared by other bordering countries such as Mount Muhabura which has its part standing in neighboring Uganda in the north and is known as Muhavura from the Ugandan side.
Tracking endangered mountain gorillas through the mysterious rain forest, alive with the calls of 200 species of colorful birds and chattering of the rare golden monkey, is only one of the truly unique experiences in the area. Rare mountain gorillas and golden monkeys reside on the slopes of Rwanda’s Virungas, just a three-hour drive from Kigali International Airport. The lush slopes of these volcanoes provide a dramatic natural setting for one of the most thrilling and memorable wildlife experiences – seeing the mountain gorilla in its natural habitat.
Akagera National Park was founded in 1934 but by 1997 much of its wildlife and two-thirds of its territory, roughly 10% of the country, had been lost to poaching and farming. Lions were gone, and leopards were hit pretty heavily just because people were trying to graze livestock in the park. A partnership between the Rwanda Development Board (a government agency) and African Parks, a non-profit dedicated to rehabilitating conservation areas across Africa, led to the creation of the Akagera Management Company – tasked with overseeing the park’s resurgence. That partnership has changed things. It is now Central Africa’s largest protected wetland and the last remaining refuge for savannah-adapted species in Rwanda.
Rwanda has positioned itself as a high-yield, low-volume destination in keeping with its conservation-centric approach to tourism. Over the past 27 years, Rwanda capitalized on this opportunity and created a growing ecotourism industry. Rwanda’s tourism industry is the largest source of foreign exchange earnings, contributing over USD 445 million to the local economy in 2022, which has contributed to the country’s sustainable development through job creation, business opportunities, and environmental conservation efforts. Akagera’s Rwandan staff work with international scientists, and biologists, and in turn offer guests a high-end, informative experience that brings in much-needed conservation dollars.
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Boitumelo Masihleho is a South African digital content creator. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Rhodes University in Journalism and Media Studies and Politics and International Studies.
She’s an experienced multimedia journalist who is committed to writing balanced, informative and interesting stories on a number of topics. Boitumelo has her own YouTube channel where she shares her love for affordable beauty and lifestyle content.
