The Forest of 1,000 Springs: Preserving Rwanda’s Primordial Water Tower

Nyungwe does not feel like the rest of Rwanda. The neat tea terraces give way abruptly to an impenetrable wall of prehistoric green. Tree ferns the size of houses reach upward toward the mist.

Here, thirteen primate species live in vertical strata. On the forest floor, colobus monkeys forage; midway up, l’Hoest monkeys scurry along mossy branches; and high in the emergent mahogany crowns, chimpanzee families crack open wild figs.

Through our eco-tourism partnerships, former poachers from the forest perimeter are now employed as senior canopy rangers. Their intimate knowledge of animal trails has turned poachers into protectors.