Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park stands as one of the world’s most notable examples of mountain gorilla conservation. Its experience shows that protecting a threatened species requires more than patrols. It depends on healthy habitats, veterinary care, tourism revenue that benefits surrounding communities, local participation and public institutions committed to conservation over the long term.
The country celebrated the 21st Kwita Izina Gorilla Naming Ceremony on September 4, 2026, at the foothills of Volcanoes National Park, where 22 baby mountain gorillas were officially named. The total number of gorillas named through the ceremony since it became an annual event in 2005 now stands at 460.
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Prime Minister Justin Nsengiyumva said the event recognises “the value of the natural heritage we have, to encourage communities to protect biodiversity, and to remind us of the important role of Volcanoes National Park in the development of our people and our country”.
The 2018 census estimated 1,063 mountain gorillas in the wild, including 604 in the Virunga Massif, compared with an estimated 480 in the Virunga population in 2010. The population has increased by 73% since 1989, leading the IUCN to reclassify the species from Critically Endangered to Endangered in 2018. Yet the species remains vulnerable because its range is limited and fragmented, making continued protection essential.
Rwanda is expanding Volcanoes National Park by 37.4 square kilometres, or 3,740 hectares, representing approximately a 23% increase from its current 160 square kilometres. The project carries a total investment of $300 million and includes a 6,620-hectare buffer zone intended to separate the park from inhabited areas and reduce human-wildlife conflict by 80%.
The expansion aims to support a 15–20% increase in the gorilla population and reduce infant gorilla mortality by 50%. It will also involve the resettlement of approximately 3,400 families into “green neighbourhoods” featuring improved housing, social infrastructure and eco-tourism opportunities. An estimated 17,000 new jobs are expected to be created.
The Rwanda Nature Foundation, a new structure created to oversee conservation efforts, emphasises a participatory approach that places communities at the heart of conservation solutions. Researcher Beth Kaplin has noted that addressing livelihood challenges around national parks is essential because protected areas can function as “islands of biodiversity” surrounded by landscapes dominated by human activity.
Tourism provides an important economic foundation for Rwanda’s conservation model. The country generated $685 million in tourism revenues in 2025, with 1.49 million visitor arrivals. National parks received 155,394 visits and generated $40.8 million in park revenues, of which Volcanoes National Park accounted for $35.8 million.
Gorilla tourism generated $45.7 million in visitor spending between May and July 2026, representing nearly 80% of expenditure by non-resident visitors arriving by air for holidays during that period. In the fourth quarter of 2025, travel services exports reached $161.5 million, with gorilla trekking accounting for 71.4% of holiday revenue.
Rwanda’s Tourism Revenue Sharing Programme has operated for two decades, with 10% of national park tourism revenues reinvested in surrounding communities. More than RWF 23 billion has been disbursed, supporting nearly 1,300 community projects.
For 2026, approximately RWF 1.98 billion has been allocated to four districts neighbouring Volcanoes National Park: Burera, Musanze, Nyabihu and Rubavu. Since the programme began, 838 projects worth RWF 8.6 billion have been supported specifically in these four districts.
Rwanda’s standard gorilla trekking permit has been priced at $1,500 per visitor since 2017, according to Rwanda Development Board announcements. Permit revenue is important, but it should not be confused with the total economic contribution of tourism or the amount ultimately retained by surrounding communities.
The high permit price supports a deliberate low-volume, high-value tourism model, allowing Rwanda to generate significant tourism revenue while controlling visitor numbers. Gorilla trekking also operates through advance permits and controlled booking arrangements, with tourist permit applications processed within one day.
Gorilla recovery rests on several interconnected forms of protection. Rangers and trackers monitor gorilla groups daily and identify changes in their health, while veterinary teams from Gorilla Doctors provide specialised care. Anti-poaching patrols, tourism rules limiting visitor numbers and distances, habitat management and regional cooperation among Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo also form part of the conservation system.
This approach is costly and labour-intensive and cannot be replaced by a naming ceremony or a single park expansion project. The Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration framework, formalised through a treaty ratified in 2015, has also strengthened wildlife conservation cooperation among the three countries.
In January 2026, a 22-year-old female gorilla named Mafuko gave birth to twins in Virunga National Park, a rare occurrence, with twin births representing only 1% of recorded gorilla births. However, about 33% of infant mountain gorillas in Rwanda die before reaching adulthood. The expansion project aims to reduce this mortality by 50% through additional habitat and reduced competition for limited space.
Rwanda’s experience demonstrates that conservation can support local development when communities share in the benefits and institutions remain accountable. The recovery of mountain gorilla numbers from the crisis of the 1980s to more than 1,000 animals is significant, but it does not eliminate the species’ vulnerabilities.
The broader lesson for Africa is that conservation is strongest when ecological evidence, stable funding, local rights and shared economic benefits are treated as parts of the same system.
As RDB CEO Jean-Guy Afrika stated: “The mountain gorilla demonstrates what sustained commitment, strong institutions, community partnership and international partnerships can achieve. This is an extraordinary conservation achievement, but it is also a reminder that our work must continue.”
