Volcanoes National Park
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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
| Species | Gorilla beringei beringei |
| Area | 160 km² |
| Coordinates | -1.452661, 29.521122 |
| Type of site | Protected area (National Park) |
| Governance type | |
| Habitat type | Subtropical/tropical moist montane forest, grassland, wetlands, rocky areas |
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 | Occurrence | Encounter or visitation rate (nests/km; ind/day) | Density estimate [ind/ km²] (95% CI) | Abundance estimate (95% CI) | Survey area | Sampling method | Analytical framework | Source | Comments | A.P.E.S. database ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gorilla beringei beringei | 2016 | Present | 669 (623-759) | Virunga Massif | Genetic (dung/hair) | 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 | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential & commercial development | Unknown | |||
| 2. Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Present (unknown severity) | 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 (unknown severity) | Gorilla poaching (BirdLife International 2021). | Ongoing (2021) |
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting | Present (unknown severity) | 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 | Implementing organization | Year of activity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Development impact mitigation | Not reported | |||
| 2. Counter-wildlife crime | Not reported | |||
| 3. Species health | 3.13 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) | |
| 4. Education & awareness | Not reported | |||
| 5. Protection & restoration | 5.2 Legally protect ape habitat | The site has been a national park since 1925 (AWF n.d.) | 1925-Ongoing (2024) | |
| 6. Species management | Not reported | |||
| 7. Economic & other incentives | 7.1 Provide monetary benefits to local communities for sustainably managing their forest and its wildlife (e.g., REDD, alternative income, employment) | Ecotourism at the park has brought economic opportunities for local people (AWF n.d.) | Ongoing (2021) | |
| 8. Permanent presence | Not reported |
Conservation implementation challenges and enablers
Table 5. Challenges reported for Volcanoes National Park
| Category | Challenge | Source | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Site management | Not reported | ||
| 2. Resources & capacity | Not reported | ||
| 3. Engaged community | Not reported | ||
| 4. Institutional support | Not reported | ||
| 5. Ecological context | Not reported | ||
| 6. Safety & stability | Not reported |
Table 6. Enablers reported for Volcanoes National Park
| Category | Enabler | Source | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Site management | Not reported | ||
| 2. Resources & capacity | Not reported | ||
| 3. Engaged community | Not reported | ||
| 4. Institutional support | Not reported | ||
| 5. Ecological context | Not reported | ||
| 6. Safety & stability | 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 7. Ape behaviors reported for Volcanoes National Park
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
Exposure to climate change impacts
As part of a study on the exposure of African great ape sites to climate change impacts, Kiribou et al. (2024) extracted climate data and data on projected extreme climate impact events for the site. Climatological characteristics were derived from observation-based climate data provided by the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project ([ISIMIP www.isimip.org]). Parameters were calculated as the average across each 30-year period. For future projections, two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) were used. RCP 2.6 is a scenario with strong mitigation measures in which global temperatures would likely rise below 2°C. RCP 6.0 is a scenario with medium emissions in which global temperatures would likely rise up to 3°C by 2100. For the number of days with heavy precipitation events, the 98th percentile of all precipitation days (>1mm/d) was calculated for the 1979-2013 reference period as a threshold for a heavy precipitation event. Then, for each year, the number of days above that threshold was derived. The figures on temperature and precipitation anomaly show the deviation from the mean temperature and mean precipitation for the 1979-2013 reference period. The estimated exposure to future extreme climate impact events (crop failure, drought, river flood, wildfire, tropical cyclone, and heatwave) is based on a published dataset by Lange et al. 2020 derived from ISIMIP2b data. The same global climate models and RCPs as described above were used. Within each 30-year period, the number of years with an extreme event and the average proportion of the site affected were calculated (Kiribou et al. 2024).
Table 8. Estimated past and projected climatological characteristics in Volcanoes National Park
| 1981-2010 | 2021-2050, RCP 2.6 | 2021-2050, RCP 6.0 | 2071-2099, RCP 2.6 | 2071-2099, RCP 6.0 | |
| Mean temperature [°C] | 16.6 | 17.8 | 17.5 | 17.9 | 19.1 |
| Annual precipitation [mm] | 1272 | 1288 | 1422 | 1293 | 1411 |
| Max no. consecutive dry days (per year) | 19.4 | 28.4 | 28.9 | 31.6 | 25.8 |
| No. days with heavy precipitation (per year) | 5.6 | 6.9 | 8.1 | 7.5 | 9.5 |
Table 9. Projected exposure of apes to extreme climate impact events in Volcanoes National Park
| No. of years with event (2021-2050, RCP 2.6) | % of site exposed (2021-2050, RCP 2.6) | No. of years with event (2021-2050, RCP 6.0) | % of site exposed (2021-2050, RCP 6.0) | No. of years with event (2070-2099, RCP 2.6) | % of site exposed (2070-2099, RCP 2.6) | No. of years with event (2070-2099, RCP 6.0) | % of site exposed (2070-2099, RCP 6.0) | |
| Crop failure | 5 | 0.28 | 4 | 0.72 | 5.5 | 0.38 | 6 | 0.18 |
| Drought | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Heatwave | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| River flood | 1 | 1.98 | 3 | 2.77 | 1.5 | 1.74 | 3.5 | 2.88 |
| Tropical cyclone | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wildfire | 30 | 1.11 | 30 | 0.88 | 29 | 1.13 | 29 | 0.75 |
External links
African community and conservation foundation
African Wildlife Foundation - Volcanoes NP
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
Kiribou, R., Tehoda, P., Chukwu, O., Bempah, G., Kühl, H. S., Ferreira, J., ... & Heinicke, S. (2024). Exposure of African ape sites to climate change impacts. PLOS Climate, 3(2), e0000345.
Lange, S., Volkholz, J., Geiger, T., Zhao, F., Vega, I., Veldkamp, T., ... & Frieler, K. (2020). Projecting exposure to extreme climate impact events across six event categories and three spatial scales. Earth's Future, 8(12), e2020EF001616.
Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date: 15/10/2021