African Parks Network - The trees of life.

The trees of life. 

Rwanda’s Nyungwe Forest is well known as a primate-viewing destination, with chimpanzee and black-and-white colobus being among its most visible (and audible) inhabitants – along with some 345 recorded bird species. The forest’s true significance may however lie in its largely unseen contribution to trapping water for the Nile and Congo Rivers, carbon sequestration and soil stability. As well as habitats for endemic species, the remarkably diverse Nyungwe Forest provides up to 75% of Rwanda’s fresh water supply, with its soils and vegetation slowing down and filtering surface and subsurface flow, as well as acting as a safeguard against erosion. Nyungwe also filters pollutants out of the air – in medical terms, it is effectively the lungs and kidneys of Rwanda, and it plays an immeasurably important role in maintaining the health of ecosystems throughout the Albertine Rift region. 

📸Gael Vande Weghe

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