Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente, on July 18 officially launched Nyandungu Eco-Tourism Park, a major milestone for Rwanda’s conservation effort, according to officials.

The 121-hectare park restored within six years was launched on the sidelines of the Africa Protected Areas Congress (APAC), which is taking place in Kigali this week.

Speaking at the official opening of APAC, in Kigali Convention Centre after launching the Park, Ngirente said: "we launched the Nyandungu Eco-Tourism Park. This urban wetland has been transformed from a degraded wetland to an educational and recreational facility.”

Delegates follow a presentation on the newly revamped wetland during the inauguration.

"But as much as the tourism income is vital for Rwanda, this is not what primarily drives us in our conservation efforts; we are driven by the fact that conservation of biodiversity and sustaining our ecosystem are key enablers in promoting green and sustainable development,” he noted.

Juliet Kabera, the Director General of Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) said that the restoration of the wetland and creation of an eco-tourism park promoted the sustainable management of natural resources, and created over 4,000 green jobs mainly for women and young Rwandans.

Completed at the cost of Rwf4.5 billion, the park has a medicinal garden, a Pope’s Garden, five catchment ponds, three recreation ponds, an information centre, restaurant and 10 kilometres of walkaways and bicycles lanes.

With 70 hectares of restored wetland and 50 hectares of forest, the park is home to more than 62 local plant species and over 100 bird species.

"Thanks to wetland restoration efforts, biodiversity keeps regenerating,” she said.

At least 17,000 trees were planted in the park.

Martine Urujeni, the Vice Mayor in charge of Socio-Economic Affairs in the City of Kigali said: "We are proud to have Nyandungu Eco-Park as one of the tourist attractions and recreational site in our city. This is a proof of human and nature cohabitation.”

She said that the facility will be key in protecting lives and livelihoods while mitigating the adverse impact of climate change.

"Developing Eco- Park also helps to reduce the risks of flooding in the city of Kigali and adds on public green spaces in the city’s history as it is in the Kigali master plan,” she noted.

Rwanda has allocated 37.7 per cent of its land to conservation activities in part to maximise the economic benefits of nature-rich sites.

Africa Protected Areas Congress (APAC) taking place in Kigali is also set to discuss sustainable financing for protected areas including parks.

Over 1,200 national parks are in Africa but they are not well managed due to financing gaps and this needs to be discussed at the congress in Kigali