UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Rwanda
Rwanda has 1 site on the UNESCO World Heritage List (1 natural), the first inscribed in 2023 (Nyungwe Forest). The map below plots it alongside the rest of the List, and each site is written up in full further down the page.
- World Heritage Sites
- 1
- Cultural
- 0
- Natural and Mixed
- 1
- First Inscribed
- 2023
Map of World Heritage Sites in Rwanda
CulturalNaturalMixedIn DangerLarge dots are in Rwanda. Click a dot to read about the site.
Nyungwe Forest
Rwanda · 2.5282° S, 29.2758° E · 1,020 km² · 48 km from Bukavu
The Nyungwe Forest ()() is located in southwestern Rwanda, on the border with Burundi, where it is contiguous with the Kibira National Park to the south, and Lake Kivu and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. The Nyungwe rainforest is most likely the best preserved montane rainforest in Africa. It is located in the watershed between the basin of the Congo River to the west and the basin of the river Nile to the east. From the east side of the Nyungwe forest comes also one of the branches of the Nile sources.
Nyungwe Forest was established in 2004 and covers an area of approximately 1,019 km2 (393 sq mi) of rainforest, bamboo, grassland, swamps, and bogs. The nearest town is Kamembe, Rwanda, 54 km (34 mi) to the west. Mount Bigugu (2,921 m (9,583 ft)) is located within the park borders. In October 2020, the Rwanda Development Board signed an agreement with African Parks to assume management for an initial 20 years. In September 2023, Nyungwe Forest was added to UNESCO World Heritage list.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Nyungwe Forest (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Why Nyungwe Forest Is Listed
- (x)
- The most important natural habitats for conserving biodiversity.
More about Nyungwe Forest
UNESCO's Description
This serial property represents an important area for rainforest conservation in Central Africa. The property is home to intact forests and peat bogs, moors, thickets and grasslands, providing habitats to a highly diverse flora and fauna. The Park also contains the most significant natural habitats for a number of species found nowhere else in the world, including the globally threatened Eastern Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii), Golden Monkey ( Cercopithecus mitis ssp. kandti ) and the Critically Endangered Hills Horseshoe Bat ( Rhinolophus hillorum ). There are also 12 mammal and seven bird species that are globally threatened, and with 317 species of birds recorded, Nyungwe National Park is one of the most important sites for bird conservation in Africa.
From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).
History
Nyungwe Forest Reserve was established in 1933 by the Belgian colonial government. In the 1920s the colonial government had become concerned about the accelerating conversion of forest to pasture. The laws governing Rwanda's forest reserves prohibited clearing forests for agriculture, but maintained community rights to cut and collect firewood, and permitted commercial exploitation of valuable hardwood timber. Enforcement was lax, and local people continued to use the forest for hunting, honey collection, woodcutting, subsistence farming, and gold mining.
Rwanda became independent in 1962, and the country's forest reserves were managed by the Ministry of Agriculture.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Nyungwe Forest (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Key Facts
| Established | 2004 |
|---|---|
| Area | 1,010 km² |
Facts from Wikidata Q1356828 (CC0).
World Heritage in Rwanda: Quick Answers
- How many UNESCO World Heritage Sites are in Rwanda?
- Rwanda has 1 World Heritage Site: 1 natural.
- What was the first World Heritage Site in Rwanda?
- Nyungwe Forest, inscribed in 2023.
- What are the natural World Heritage Sites in Rwanda?
- Nyungwe Forest.
- Are any World Heritage Sites in Rwanda in danger?
- None of the World Heritage Sites in Rwanda is on UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger.