Several institutions led by the Rwanda National Commission on UNESCO have embarked on a proposal to have one of Africa’s oldest mountain forests: Nyungwe National Park added to the world heritage list.

Other institutions that are championing this include Rwanda Development Board, Rwanda Environmental Management Authority and the Ministry of Youth and culture among others.

Albert Mutesa, the Secretary-General of the Rwandan Commission on UNESCO hails the park’s amazing features which convince him that it can be featured among the world’s heritage list.

"Basing on its beauty, and that it hosts a lot of biodiversities, we have realized that we do not want it to be considered a national asset, but a global adventure,” he said in an interview with The New Times.

"We are sure that can happen, as long as we have political and institutional will”.

On the other hand, Jerome Kajuga, the director of culture, social and human sciences in the commission also says that he is optimistic about the proposal, basing on Nyungwe’s adventurous aspects.

"This is one of the parks with an outstanding universal value and uniqueness, so that pushed us to work on its file and make sure we submit it by the end of this year,” he emphasized.

Kajuga adds that Nyungwe has the needed requirements to be featured on the list.

If added to the list, it would earn the park more recognition, hence scaling up the tourism revenues which later on raises the standards of living to those living near the park.

What is Nyungwe National Park?

Nyungwe national park was first designated as a tourist reserve in 1933 and the activities to conserve the area was scaled up in 1980s, but disturbed by the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.

In 2000, procedures to turn the reserve into a national park started, but the law was gazetted in 2005.

With a size of 1,019 Square kilometers, it is the largest mountainous rain forest in East Africa, and it is home to a large number of species that are becoming extinct in many parts of the world.

After being a home of 222 types of bird species, 38 species of reptiles, 35 species of amphibians, the park also has an impact on the people living near the area, as most of the tea factories in Rwanda have their plantations near the park due to its fertile soil.

Nyungwe Management Company, the firm managing the park, also documents that 70% of Rwandan waters are derived from Nyungwe as it is the origin of AKanyaru and RUkarara river sources.

It also gives rise to Nile and Congo water basins.

In 2010, Nyungwe introduced canopy walkways which attracted more people after the bird watching and visit the waterfalls activities.  

Before the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic, Nyungwe was hosting 18,000 tourists per year, according to Protais Niyigaba, the park's manager.

"This, and other features, makes a case as to why it can be featured on the world heritage sites," he said in a telephone interview with The New Times last week. 

The sites already on the world heritage list include Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal, Egyptian Giza pyramids and Robben islands among others.