Amid growing human encroachment and depletion on biodiversity, environmentalists say that every action taken (good or bad) has a similar effect to the human life in return.

Conservationists and wildlife activists—who are meeting in Kigali for a two-day Conversation on Conservation forum—say that it is imperative that every stakeholder, public and private player, take it upon themselves to curb natural resources’ depletion.

The Conversation on Conservation forum is part of series of events leading to the annual Mountain Gorilla naming ceremony, popularly known as "Kwita Izina,” due on September 1 in Kinigi, Musanze districts.

Kwita Izina is Rwanda tourism and conservation flagship event that has seen the growth of the gorilla population by 26.6 per cent in over a decade.

Natural Resources minister Vincent Biruta said that daily food, water, energy security and the growing tourism industry "strongly depend” on land cover and wildlife, hence reason enough to be mindful of day-to-day decisions made on biodiversity.

"We strongly believe that every decision we take, when it affects biodiversity, also affects our lives and the lives of other people,” Biruta said while officiating at the opening of the forum yesterday.

Biruta said conservation is not a role for conservationists alone but for every citizen who cares about leaving behind a better world for generations to come.

"Better conservation of our environment requires the collective efforts of all: government and non-governmental entities, public-private partnerships for conservation and all individuals who work in the sector,” he said.

On Rwanda, Biruta reminded stakeholders that tourism, mostly nature-based, is one of the key pillars of the economy and has been top foreign exchange earner for the last six years.

We cannot count on our natural resources if nothing is done to curb their depletion, he said.

Conservation

About 800 mountain gorillas are left in the entire world, and they are only believed to be in the Greater Virunga Trans-boundary covering Rwanda, Uganda and DR Congo.

Tara Stoinski of Dian Fossey Foundation believes that they must be protected and constant measures and conservation regulations put in place in order to protect them sustainably.

In Rwanda, 239 mountain gorillas have been named in the 12 ceremonies since the first Kwita Izina in 2005.

This year, 19 mountain gorillas will be named.

In response to the existing regulations protecting wildlife, Stoinski said, "it is important that these laws are not just in place but they are enforced.

"You realise that even before, there were laws protecting mountain gorillas, just like many other wild animals but the park wasn’t protected. However, from the time local authorities started implementing laws, we have seen the numbers of Mountain gorillas increase. All they need is protection to thrive,” he said.

Stricter laws on wildlife in pipeline

Eugene Mutangana, the head of conservation at Rwanda Development Board (RDB), said an "even stricter” regulation is being drafted to protect wildlife in Rwanda.

He said the current regulation is "a bit lenient” and does not give appropriate punishment to culprits.

"We are doing all we can to conserve our biodiversity,” Mutangana said, "the new regulation will be stricter on cases of wildlife encroachment and poaching and will strongly punish the culprits.”

He said RDB, together with its conservation partners, will continue to engage communities around protected area on the benefits of biodiversity to reduce on the unlawful encroachment, an approach he believes is more sustainable compared to regulation.

Clare Akamanzi, the chief executive of RDB, said the 5 per cent tourism revenue sharing policy (which will increase to 10 per cent) and the return of the lions and rhinos to Akagera National Park, are some of the conservation-oriented millstones Rwandan has registered in the recent past, among others.

Sustainability of such millstones, Akamanzi said, requires inclusive collaboration and goodwill from all stakeholders.

Meanwhile, Dr Hirut Wolde-marian, Ethiopian minister for culture and tourism, commended Rwanda’s "wonderful” conservation innovation in Kwita Izina event, saying it needs to be expanded regionally.

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