H.E. President Paul Kagame of Rwanda discusses the Gishwati Area Conservation Program with Ted Townsend, founder of Great Ape Trust and Earthpark.

President Kagame seeks support for a 'forest of hope' taking root in Rwanda

New York, New York – September 25, 2008 – President Paul Kagame of Rwanda urged attendees at the 2008 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting to support a historic conservation and economic development program in his country that would create a 30-mile forest corridor in an attempt to save chimpanzees on the brink of extinction and improve the lives of their human neighbors.

The Gishwati Area Conservation Program is a joint effort of the Rwandan government with Great Ape Trust of Iowa and Earthpark, Iowa-based projects founded by Des Moines businessman Ted Townsend. The program, announced at last year’s CGI conference, is one of Africa’s most ambitious forest restoration and ecological research efforts ever and is expected to cost $5 million over 10 years.

The Gishwati Area Conservation Program will include a 30-mile forest corridor linking the Gishwati Forest to Nyungwe National Park.

“We are creating a ‘forest of hope’ that transcends the restoration of biodiversity – it is about the people of Gishwati and improving their lives in harmony with nature,” said His Excellency, President Kagame. “We are determined to reverse the history of human-induced environmental abuse in the Gishwati area, and this program is an opportunity for members of the global community to build partnerships with Rwanda and address these important challenges.”

In the early 1900s, the Gishwati Forest was Rwanda’s second largest forest at nearly 400 square miles (1,000 square kilometers).  Located in Rwanda’s Western Province, Gishwati was deforested in the 1980s by agricultural development and in the mid-1990s during the resettlement of people following the civil war and genocide.  Human encroachment, deforestation, grazing and the introduction of small-scale farming resulted in extensive soil erosion, flooding, landslides and reduced water quality – as well as the isolation of 13 chimpanzees.

The Gishwati Area Conservation Program will reduce poverty’s threat to conservation by improving water quality, controlling floods, promoting ecotourism and enhancing local employment. The project will also develop a chimpanzee field study site that includes planting a 30-mile (50km) tree corridor to connect the Gishwati Forest Reserve, the chimpanzees’ home range, to Nyungwe National Park in southwest Rwanda.

“This initiative beautifully demonstrates President Kagame’s broad commitment to the people of Rwanda, conservation, and biodiversity. Through his leadership, Gishwati will become a model of how small beginnings can grow into major accomplishments worthy of emulation across the world stage,” said Ted Townsend. “Earthpark and Great Ape Trust are honored to work so closely with our Rwandan partners and we eagerly invite others to assist. This forest of hope will become a powerful symbol of local dedication impacting global issues.”

One hundred years ago, Gishwati was Rwanda's second largest forest at 250,000 acres.  Through deforestation and human settlement it was reduced to 1,500 acres by the early 21st century.

SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS:

Since the announcement of this historic conservation effort at the 2007 Clinton Global Initiative, great progress has been made and the project is well ahead of schedule.  A Rwandan educator and environmentalist, Madeleine Nyiratuza, has been appointed program coordinator. An office was opened in Gisenyi and staff hired.  Meetings and tours have been conducted with cabinet ministers, local government leaders, law enforcement authorities and residents.  Community participation programs for villagers have begun and planning has started for a pilot ecotourism program.

Dr. Rebecca Chancellor, a scientist from the University of California-Davis is developing a research field site to study the 13 chimpanzees living in the small pocket of rain forest.  Collaborating with students from the National University of Rwanda, Dr. Chancellor will study the behavior and ecology of the Gishwati chimpanzees and develop a better understanding of what is needed to restore the forest and save the chimps.

“The Gishwati Area Conservation Program has made enormous strides over the past year and we are ahead of schedule in all areas,” said Dr. Benjamin Beck, conservation director at Great Ape Trust and leader of the project for Earthpark and The Trust. “This has been possible because of the magnificent relationship with our Rwandan partners. At all levels, there is a clear understanding about the importance of conservation and the well-being of those who have relied on the Gishwati forest to live and sustain their families.”

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Great Ape Trust of Iowa is a scientific research facility in Des Moines dedicated to understanding the origins and future of culture, language, tools and intelligence.  When completed, it will be the largest great ape facility in North America and one of the first worldwide to include all four types of great ape – bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans – for noninvasive interdisciplinary studies of their cognitive and communicative capabilities.  Great Ape Trust is dedicated to providing sanctuary and an honorable life for great apes, studying the intelligence of great apes, advancing conservation of great apes and providing a unique educational experience about great apes.

The mission of Earthpark™ is "to inspire generations to learn from the natural world." Through the creation of a global education network focused on accelerating science literacy and promoting leading inquiry and project-based teaching methods, Earthpark will be a 21st century best-in-class educational facility that introduces and immerses students, their teachers, and visitors of all ages to the world's most critical, fascinating and threatened ecosystems. Earthpark will serve as the first globally networked, international center of excellence for science-based literacy and environmental stewardship.