The Gishwati-Mukura landscape in Rwanda’s Western Province has been named among the World Network of Biosphere Reserves by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) during a session of the International Co-coordinating Council of the Man and Biosphere Programme held on 28 October 2020. The Gishwati-Mukura landscape joins the Volcanoes Biosphere Reserve in north-west Rwanda, which was inducted into the network in 1983. Speaking on the UNESCO designation, Belise Kariza, Chief Tourism Officer, Rwanda Development Board (RDB) said:
"As Rwanda's newest national park, the Gishwati-Mukura landscape is incredibly beautiful and rich in unique and valuable biodiversity. Rwanda has been working to protect and restore the area by investing in nature based solutions and forest landscape restoration. I commend the efforts of all partners whose tireless work has led to the biosphere reserve status we celebrate today. Conservation not only preserves our natural heritage for future generations, but also plays an important role in fostering ecotourism as a pillar of economic development."The Gishwati-Mukura National Park was gazetted as Rwanda's fourth national park in 2016. The Rwanda Development Board (RDB), a government department that integrates all government agencies responsible for the attraction, retention and facilitation of investments in Rwanda's economy, took over its management in 2019. The park is made up of two separate forests – the larger Mukura and smaller Gishwati – which are located within the landscape. The forests sit on the ridge which divides the Congo and Nile water catchment areas, along the biodiverse Albertine Rift.
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