Akagera: Community conservation and efforts to reduce human-wildlife conflict

This month marked a major conservation milestone for Rwanda. After more than a decade of absence from the country, the King of the Jungle is back. The Akagera Management Company, a partnership between African Parks and the Rwanda Development Board, translocated seven lions from South Africa to Rwanda. The reintroduction of lions in Akagera National Park will return ecological balance to the park, which was missing in their absence. As we celebrate the return of lions to Rwanda, it is timely to recall the factors that led to their extinction and discuss what is being done to ensure history does not repeat itself. After the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, a large number of refugees returned to Rwanda with their cattle. Land was made available to the returnees by reducing the size of Akagera National Park. This led to significant human-wildlife conflict, with many cows being killed by lions that had previously called the area home. In an effort to stop the attacks, many of the lions were poisoned by farmers or trapped in snares. The result was their complete extinction. When discussions began about bringing lions back to Rwanda, one of the first things was to meet with the communities surrounding Akagera National Park and reassure them about the return of these wild animals. A lesson learned from protecting the majestic mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park; animal conservation can only be successful if led by local communities. Awareness-raising activities that shared a message of conservation and protecting the lions included screenings of wildlife documentaries in open-air cinemas, the staging of a theatre production called ‘The Lion King’, and the ‘Lions Cup’ – a football tournament involving all three districts bordering the park. In addition, the park management organised educational visits to the park, which involved more than 1,300 students and local leaders each year. These activities have been part of a broader effort by the park to inform communities about the importance of conservation and the important role they play. But the responsibility for conservation also rests on the shoulders of the government; to ensure the safety of communities and put in place measures to reduce human-wildlife conflict, which has included crop destruction by hippos and buffalos. This joint-partnership between the community and government is crucial for the sustainability of our national parks and is an approach that has proven very effective to date. The construction of a 120km predator-proof fence has been key to reducing human-wildlife conflict, with the park’s wild animals no longer able to easily stray into surrounding communities.. Some animals were fenced outside the park boundaries; however, since 2013 around 900 animals have been pushed into Akagera from surrounding areas, mostly buffalos. Prior to the fence completion, elephants were regularly in community fields and had to be herded back into the park. Since the fence was constructed, none have wandered outside the park. Today, the entire fence line is patrolled on a daily basis by a team of dedicated fence attendants. While these efforts have led to a dramatic decrease in human-wildlife conflict, no measure is perfect and today, there are still cases where animals stray outside the park and damage residents’ crops and property. When this does occur, the government has a compensation mechanism through the Special Guarantee Fund. The compensation process can be timely, but must be thorough and it is an important tool to ensure local communities are not negatively affected because of their proximity to the park. The strong partnership that exists with the community today is playing a major role in the revitalisation of Akagera. Visitor numbers have gone up by over 85 per cent and park revenue has increased five-fold. More than 28,000 people visit Akagera National Park every year and, thanks to the national revenue sharing scheme, surrounding communities receive 5 per cent of park income for community development. In addition, an average of US $25,000 (Rwf 18,000,000) is spent every month in surrounding communities on salaries and local purchases, and initiatives like the Community Freelance Guides ensure they benefit from the increase in tourism to Akagera. These efforts have instilled a sense of community ownership for Akagera National Park. When the lions travelled from Kigali to Akagera, local residents lined the streets cheering ‘Intare!’ and school children proudly displayed hand-drawn signs with the message ‘We are so glad to receive lions in our land’. This enthusiasm is testament to the hard work of the Akagera team to reassure the community about the return of the lions. We are confident about their survival and the safety of the people living on the boundaries of the park. The seven lions have been fitted with GPS collars so their whereabouts are always accounted for, and the park fence has been predator-proofed. These efforts, as well as the many activities underway to reduce human-wildlife conflict, are building a strong future for Akagera National Park and the communities that surround it. I hope every Rwandan will be part of that bright future by visiting the park and seeing its natural beauty and diversity. The writer is a trans-frontier Conservation Analyst at Rwanda Development Board (RDB)

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Akagera: Community conservation and efforts to reduce human-wildlife conflict