Primatologist Jane Goodall Visits Rwanda Project

July 17, 2013

World-renowned primatologist Jane Goodall recently visited the Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda as part of an ongoing collaboration with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Strengthening Sustainable Ecotourism in and around Nyungwe National Park (SSENNP) project.

The Nyungwe Nziza project, in partnership with the Rwanda Development Board, first contracted with the Jane Goodall Institute in 2010 to conduct an assessment of chimpanzee tourism in Nyungwe.

Following recommendations on how to enhance guides, tracker skills, and visitor experiences, the project brought the institute back in March of this year and fielded two senior primatologists in Gisovu, to assist the Rwanda Development Board in strengthening the chimpanzee habitats.

Goodall’s recent visit revolves around understanding some of the ecotourism and community-related initiatives the Rwanda Development Board and conservation partners have been able to achieve. She encouraged Nyungwe Nziza and its partners to “keep up the good work,” adding that “conservation is beyond how much we know of the biodiversity in our forests, but also about how we feel for living things and other people as well.”