In a strategic move that redefines conservation funding, six community development projects around Rwanda’s Nyungwe National Park have been selected to receive 1.2 billion Rwandan Francs (approximately $1 million USD). This allocation is part of a transformative revenue-sharing program that directly channels tourism income back to the people who live alongside this critical biodiversity hotspot.
The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) has approved projects across five districts: two in Karongi, and one each in Rusizi, Nyamasheke, Nyaruguru, and Nyamagabe. The distribution reflects a nuanced approach to need and impact: Nyamasheke (375 million RWF), Rusizi (228 million), Nyamagabe (268 million), Nyaruguru (268 million), and Karongi (107 million).
Ntihemuka Pierre, the official coordinating the park-community relationship, outlined the program’s dual mandate: “This funding is a strategic tool for conservation. First, it must directly address threats to the park—poaching, illegal firewood collection, and human-wildlife conflict. Second, and just as crucially, it must foster local pride and a tangible sense of ownership. A resident must feel that protecting the park is synonymous with protecting their own livelihood and future.”
This philosophy moves beyond simple compensation. It aims to build a conservation economy, where the park’s health is directly linked to community prosperity. The selected projects are designed to reduce poverty, build trust, mitigate crop raiding by park animals, and promote sustainable, conservation-aligned livelihoods.
Pierre detailed the rigorous selection criteria, which ensure long-term viability and impact:
- Sustainability & Relevance: “Projects must be viable and sustainable for the long term. We’ve learned from past cycles where projects from 2018 or 2020 became obsolete. We are investing in enduring solutions, not short-term fixes.”
- Proximity to the Park: Projects must be geographically close to the park boundary to directly reduce interface conflicts and create a visible buffer of community benefit.
- Community as Primary Stakeholder: Residents are not just beneficiaries but active participants. For larger initiatives, partnerships with other organizations are encouraged to bolster success.
A review of last year’s fund performance reveals varying levels of implementation efficiency: Karongi District led with 100% utilization, followed closely by Nyamasheke. Nyamagabe used 87%, Rusizi 66%, while Nyaruguru reported 0% utilization. Dr. Murwanashyaka Emmanuel, Mayor of Nyaruguru District, cited administrative and planning challenges for the delay, highlighting the real-world complexities of deploying such funds effectively.
The tangible impact of this long-term investment is evident in community sentiment. Residents interviewed expressed a profound shift in perspective. Ntamukunzi from Karongi District stated, “Because the benefits come down to us, it has made us love the park even more. We consider it a good neighbor. We cannot just watch someone destroy it.” Ndebeyinka Josepha from Rusizi highlighted infrastructure benefits: “We cannot forget the good schools RDB built for our children… The park is our friend; the education of our children is what we get from it.”
Concrete project examples bring the strategy to life. The Vice Mayor of Karongi detailed their two selected initiatives: a pig-raising project for 100 families in Mutuntu Sector to boost household income, and the construction of three classrooms in Twumba Sector to solve the problem of children walking over two kilometers to school. These projects directly address core needs while aligning community welfare with park stability.
Niyigaba Protais, Director of the Nyungwe Management Company, praised the growing partnership: “We continue to ask residents to keep conserving it. The productivity is visible—the park is well-managed, visitors are well-received. Their experience makes them return and bring others.” He urged vigilance against poaching, fires, roadkill, and littering, framing conservation as a shared responsibility for a shared asset.
This year’s allocation is part of a much larger, two-decade commitment. Ngoga Télésphore from RDB’s Department of National Park Conservation revealed that since the program’s inception in 2005, over 4.5 billion RWF has been shared in Nyungwe’s surrounding districts. Nationally, over 5 billion RWF is being allocated this year alone for communities around all national parks, with a staggering 18 billion RWF disbursed over the past 20 years.
This Rwandan model demonstrates a powerful truth: effective conservation is not just about protecting flora and fauna from people, but about integrating protection with human development. By making local communities the primary stakeholders and beneficiaries of tourism revenue, Rwanda is building a resilient, self-reinforcing system where the value of a living, thriving park far exceeds the short-term gain of its exploitation.