NORTHERN PROVINCE

MUSANZE — Students from five secondary schools neighbouring the Volcano National Park have called upon residents to conserve the environment.

They made the appeal this week during competitions staged to raise conservation awareness.

The competitions featured different plays illustrating how people have threatened the wild life, human pressure on the park and appealing messages calling on residents to change their behaviour and attitude towards endangered park species.

The competitions which were organised by KARISOKI Research Centre in conjunction with park authorities also aimed at raising the knowledge and interest of the students concerning the conservation.

According to Joseph Karama, of KARISOKI, the competition is a way of highlighting the particular threats posed to the wild life.

"Young people need to appreciate nature and the relationship that they have with wild life. They also need to be equipped for their future role of making informed decisions that affect people, wild life, and their shared habitat,’’ Karama said.

Ecole Secondaire Busogo emerged the best and the students were offered the opportunity to track the mountain gorillas for free, Ecole de Science de Musanze became second and will track golden monkeys.

At least all students were rewarded with scholastic materials.

Winfred Mpembyemungu, the vice Mayor in charge of social affairs asked the students to become agents of change by putting what they had acted into practice and also influencing their parents to avoid poaching.

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