MUSANZE – A team of field staff, rangers, and security personnel working with Volcanoes National Park have completed training on monitoring, tourism guidelines and park protection.

The training organized by Rwanda Development Board-RDB, focused on park activities, operational planning and partnerships especially in anti-poaching, law enforcement and rules for tourists safety and reduced disturbance to gorillas.

According to the Chief Park Warden, Prosper Uwingeli, the training aims at promoting an active and effective engagement of all stakeholders, including local community in the conservation of the Volcanoes National Park.

"The park realizes its objectives through multi-stakeholder approach of good customer care in tourism, conducting research and involving local communities”.

Uwingeli, said that coordination of law enforcement activities for protection of the park and involving local communities in the park planning and operations require high standards and continuous collaborative mechanisms.

In his presentation on Gorilla Health Monitoring, Dr. Jean Felix Kinani, from Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project-MGVP, said in conservation there is need to attain optimal health for people, animals and the environment.

"Personal health and hygiene is recommended. Visit if you are healthy, wash hands, change clothes, respect the set distance rule. Gorillas share 98 percent  of our genes and can contract human diseases such as measles, TB, respiratory infection,” Dr. Kinani said.

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