Volcanoes National Park
East Africa > Rwanda > Volcanoes National Park
Summary
- Mountain Gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) are present in Volcanoes National Park.
- The gorilla population in the Virunga Massif, which includes Volcanoes National Park, has been estimated at 669 (CI: 623–759).
- The gorilla population trend is increasing.
- The site has a total size of 160 km².
- Key threats to gorillas are habitat encroachment, illegal hunting and logging.
- Conservation activities have focused on ecotourism and research activities.
- The Karisoke Research Center was established in the park by American primatologist Dian Fossey.
Site characteristics
Volcanoes National Park is located in northwestern Rwanda, bordering Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it is contiguous with Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda and Virunga National Park in DRC (BirdLife International 2021). The park is famous for containing five of the eight of the Virunga Massif: Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Gahinga, and Sabyinyo (AWF). The vegetation in the park is diverse, as it varies considerably with altitude, from montane forest, bamboo zones, montane bogs, subalpine vegetation, and Afro-alpine vegetation past 4,000 m consisting of heath and thicket grassland (BirdLife International 2021). The site holds a rich avifauna which includes many of the Albertine Rift endemics (BirdLife International 2021). In 1929, the site was created, initially named Albert national park, and it was run by the Belgian Colonial Authorities (Volcanoes National Park). In the early 1960s, the park was divided as Rwanda and Congo became independent, and by the end of the 1960s, the park was almost half of its original size. In 1967, primatologist Dian Fossey, who had been doing research on mountain gorillas in Congo, fled from insecurity and established her research base between Visoke and Karisimbi volcanoes; later on it would be known as the Karisoke research center. She led conservation campaigns and fought against poaching in the area until her murder in 1985 (Volcanoes National Park).
Table 1. Basic site information for Volcanoes National Park
| Area | 160 km² |
| Coordinates | -1.452661 S, 29.521122 E |
| Designation | National Park |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/tropical moist montane forest,subtropical/tropical high altitude grassland, Bogs, marshes, swamps, fens, peatlands, rocky areas (e.g., inland cliffs, mountain peaks) |
IUCN habitat categories Site designations
Ape status
The estimated population of mountain gorillas at the Virunga Massif, which includes Volcanoes National Park, was 669 (CI: 623–759) in 2016 (Granjon et al. 2020). The mountain gorilla population moves freely between protected areas in Uganda, Rwanda and DRC.
Table 2. Ape population estimates in Volcanoes National Park
| Species | Year | Abundance estimate (95% CI) | Density estimate [ind./ km²] (95% CI) | Encounter rate (nests/km) | Area | Method | Source | Comments | A.P.E.S. database ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gorilla beringei beringei | 2016 | 669 (CI: 623–759) | Virunga Massif | Genetic analysis of non-invasively collected samples and two capture–mark–recapture estimates | Granjon et al. 2020 |
Threats
Although human pressure is very high around the park, it is the best-protected park in Rwanda. Threats include demand for agricultural land, gorilla poaching, encroachment, illegal wood- and bamboo cutting, and feral dogs (BirdLife International 2021).
Table 3. Threats to apes in Volcanoes National Park
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Quantified severity | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential & commercial development | Unknown | ||||
| 2. Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Present, but threat severity unknown | Demand for agricultural land (BirdLife International 2021). | Ongoing (2021) | |
| 3. Energy production & mining | Unknown | ||||
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | Unknown | ||||
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Present, but threat severity unknown | Gorilla poaching (BirdLife International 2021). | Ongoing (2021) | |
| 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | Present, but threat severity unknown | Illegal wood and bamboo harvesting (BirdLife International 2021). | Ongoing (2021) | ||
| 6. Human intrusion & disturbance | Unknown | ||||
| 7. Natural system modifications | Unknown | ||||
| 8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases | Unknown | ||||
| 9. Pollution | Unknown | ||||
| 10. Geological Events | Absent | ||||
| 11. Climate change & severe weather | Unknown | ||||
| 12. Other options | Absent |
Conservation activities
Conservation awareness campaigns have been conducted around the periphery of the park, aimed at promoting understanding of the park and creating support within the local population (BirdLife International 2021). In 2016, the park generated $16.4 million USD from park entry fees, supporting employment, community-based projects, livelihood development, social services, and infrastructure development (AWF).
Table 4. Conservation activities in Volcanoes National Park
| Category | Specific activity | Description | Year of activity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential & commercial development | Not reported | ||
| 2. Agriculture & aquaculture | Not reported | ||
| 3. Energy production & mining | Not reported | ||
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | Not reported | ||
| 5. Biological resource use | Not reported | ||
| 6. Human intrusion & disturbance | Not reported | ||
| 7. Natural system modifications | Not reported | ||
| 8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases | 8.23. Implement a health programme for local communities | One Health Program by the Gorilla Doctors provides annual physicals, immunizations, referrals, eyeglasses, and health education programs to park employees and their families (Gorilla Doctors). | Ongoing (2020) |
| 9. Pollution | Not reported | ||
| 10. Education & Awareness | Not reported | ||
| 11. Habitat Protection | 11.2. Legally protect primate habitat | The site has been a national park since 1925 (AWF n.d.) | Ongoing (2021) |
| 12. Species Management | Not reported | ||
| 13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives | 13.4. Run tourist projects and ensure permanent human presence at site | Ecotourism at the park has brought economic opportunities for local people (AWF n.d.) | Ongoing (2021) |
Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)
Challenges
Table 5. Challenges reported for Volcanoes National Park
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
Research activities
Karisoke Research Centre, created by Diane Fossey, is among the oldest primate field research stations in Africa (BirdLife International 2021).
Documented behaviours
Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Volcanoes National Park
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
External links
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09669582.2016.1145228
African community and conservation foundation
African Wildlife Foundation - Volcanoes NP
Relevant datasets
References
BirdLife International (2021) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Volcans National Park. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 15/10/2021.
Volcanoes National Park (n.d.). https://www.volcanoesnationalparkrwanda.com/
AWF (n.d.). Volcanoes National Park: a success story for Rwanda's communities and conservation.https://www.awf.org/blog/volcanoes-national-park-success-story-rwandas-communities-and-conservation
Granjon, A.-C., Robbins, M.M., Arinaitwe, J., Cranfield, M.R., Eckardt, W., Mburanumwe, I., Musana, A., Robbins, A.M., Roy, J., Sollmann, R., Vigilant, L. and Hickey, J.R. (2020), Estimating abundance and growth rates in a wild mountain gorilla population. Anim Conserv, 23: 455-465. https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12559
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date: 15/10/2021