Rwandan National Park Pushes Conservation to Boost Tourism

The Akagera National Park located in Rwanda’s eastern province has embarked on improving conservation efforts to protect wildlife, natural habitat and increase tourism revenues. The park, which is Rwanda’s only protected savannah region with a wide range of animals, has intensified efforts to ensure it is run for the public benefit. “In order to boost wildlife conservation at Akagera National Park, in 2010, the government of Rwanda entered into public-private partnership with African Parks to effectively manage the park,” said Jean Paul Karinganire, assistant tourism and marketing manager of Akagera Management Company. In order to ensure security and safety of the wildlife in Akagera, the park also introduced a K9 unit, which is used for rapid deployment in conjunction with law enforcement patrols on the ground. K9 unit is tasked with combating poaching and human-wildlife conflict, which continue to represent a threat to Akagera’s people and wildlife. In January this year, the Akagera park launched the first hot air balloon as part of the efforts to boost wildlife conservation and tourism promotion at the park.

SOURCE: IOL