This Landscape comprises a total of 7 national parks and 1 wildlife reserve, namely: Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda; Virunga National Park & Sarambwe Wildlife Reserve in DRC and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi National Park, Rwenzori Mountain National Park, and Semliki National Park in Uganda.

The GVL is globally recognized as a biodiversity hotspot and habitat for rare and endangered wildlife species, such as mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, African Elephants, Lions, hippopotamus, … with three World Heritage Sites (the Virunga NATIONAL PARK, Rwenzori Mountains, and Bwindi National Park), two Man & Biosphere Reserves (MAB, namely the Queen Elizabeth National Park and Volcanoes National Park), as well as RAMSAR sites (Lakes Georges and Edward).

The Greater Virunga Landscape map

GVTC has the vision of having the Greater Virunga Landscape Protected Areas network together with the surrounding landscape conserved sustainably while the goal is the sustainable long-term conservation of the Greater Virunga landscape Biodiversity leading to the strategic transboundary collaborative management that improves conservation of the Greater Virunga Landscape natural resources as a long-term outcome.

To achieve all of this, GVTC undertakes various activities and initiates partnerships with a wide range of partners including Partner State institutions, learning institutions, conservations institutions, international organizations, donor communities and community-based organizations as well as the private sector.

On the right: Hon. Governor of Western Province: Hon. Dushimimana Lambert,   Acting Mayor of Rubavu District and the Mayor of Nyabihu District while on the left we have Mr. Fidele Ruzigandekwe,  GVTC Deputy Executive Secretary for Programs  and the GVTC Deputy Executive Secretary for Finance and Administration.

It is against this background that on 27^th October 2023, Hon. Dushimimana Lambert, Governor of Western Province of the Republic of Rwanda, in the presence of the Rubavu and Nyabihu Districts mayors, has received in his office in Karongi, the delegation of GVTC. The GVTC delegation headed by Mr. Fidele Ruzigandekwe, Deputy Executive Secretary for Programs discussed matters of great importance with regard to the promotion of wildlife conservation and tourism Development with the Greater Virunga Landscape. Mrs. Kabeya Fatuma Marie Rose, Deputy Executive Secretary for Finance and Administration and Mr. Juvenal Mukeshimana, Program Assistant were part of the GVTC delegation.

GVTC officials briefed the Hon.  Governor of the Western province about the plan to organize a country-level stakeholders engagement meeting through which wildlife conservation and tourism development matters could be discussed and in case there would be matters of transboundary nature, these issues will be brought to the attention of GVTC for regional discussion in accordance with its mandate.

On the other hand, the districts have expressed their wish to see GVTC involved in many community development initiatives leading to the socio-economic welfare of the population living around the protected area to avoid that, the latter end up becoming the threat causing pressure on the Volcanoes National Park.

GVTC is in the process of developing its ten-year Transboundary Strategic Plan 2024-2034, it was agreed that this is a high time for the districts to highlight their ideas addressing community needs which can be incorporated into this plan. GVTC will invite the districts to the consultative workshop scheduled to take place in Rubavu on 20^th to 23^rd November 2023.

The Western province officials expressed their full support for the GVTC initiatives and remain open for further engagements

Hon.  Governor of Western Province, Dushimimana Lamber is the third from the right, while Mr. Fidele Ruzigandekwe, is the second from the right. Karongi 27 October 2023

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On 13^th September 2023, the workshop brought together various actors, including Protected Areas Authorities, Immigration departments, Customs departments, Wildlife crime intelligence authorities, Prosecution authorities, Intergovernmental organisations and Non-governmental conservation organizations actors, to discuss ways of combatting wildlife crimes in this threatened landscape of Greater Virunga.

Participants of the Workshop on combating Wildlife crimes in the Greater Virunga Landscape, on 13th September 2023 at Hill View Hotel, Rubavu, Rwanda

States and non-state entities are paving the way to zero-poaching, strengthened interstate collaboration, mutual legal assistance, wildlife crimes intelligence sharing in the Greater Virunga Landscape, …

“Let us share information, skills and experiences and defuse a good plan and strategies leading to the eradication of wildlife crimes in the Greater Virunga Landscape. GVTC has developed a zero-poaching strategy, this can be the starting point to win this fight, but this will not be possible if all the actors are not together. The synergy of efforts is important. Everyone has a role to play, from surveillance, monitoring, detecting, information sharing, prosecuting, resource mobilization, sharing knowledge and skills….”: This was the main message from Dr. Andrew G. Seguya, while he was welcoming the participants of this workshop.

Sept 13, 2023: ES of GVTC, Dr. Andrew G. Seguya, addressing the participants of the Workshop on combating wildlife crimes in the Greater Virunga Landscape.

On the side of the Representative of Rwanda Development Board, who officially opened this workshop, Mr. Telesphore Ngoga,  recalled that in April 2023, they have held a second symposium on illegal wildlife trafficking from which they have had an insight of the wildlife crimes in the country. He commended Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration for having urgently implemented the recommendation of widening the collaboration in combating wildlife crimes, which was one of the key recommendations formulated during that symposium.

On behalf of Rwanda Development Board, Mr. Telesphore Ngoga, Conservation Analyst, addressing the participants of the Workshop on combating wildlife crimes in the Greater Virunga Landscape. Sept 13, 2023

“ I commend GVTC for this initiative to bring together all the players in the landscape to explore ways to tackle the always-increasing trends of crimes in wildlife and wildlife products. The creation of GVTC was a successful approach to preserving our shared resources as a heritage for future generations. We need to exercise all means to achieve this noble and common vision”. Has recommended Mr. Telesphone Ngoga, Conservation Analyst at Rwanda Development Board.

On behalf of the East African Community, Dr Ndoli Alain, in his keynote address with a focus on Underscoring transboundary collaboration, appreciated GVTC for having organized this workshop to combat wildlife crimes in the Greater Virunga Landscape. He recalled that this region is endowed with a lot of biodiversity, which provides ecosystem services on which many stakeholders and groups are mutually dependent. However, this biodiversity is under serious pressure and is going to rapidly decline. For that, collaboration is important, and he confirmed that EAC is looking forward to collaborating with GVTC in the ten years to come, given that GVTC has recorded a number of successes in this Landscape, since its creation.

After this workshop of two days,  a session of the prosecutors, chief wardens and wildlife intelligence officers shall sit to defuse ways of sharing information and cooperate on this matter of combating wildlife crimes in the Greater Virunga Landscape.

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Introduction:

In 2020, WWF started to implement a GVL Initiative Development Project to inspire the formation of a Collaboration Initiative between the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration (GVTC) and Conservation and Development NGOs. The goal of this collaboration is to increase effectiveness of conservation work in the Greater Virunga Landscape (GVL) in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Uganda. A number of background studies have been completed and meetings of partners conducted.

The collaboration is expected to;
• Increase collaboration and effectiveness of conservation work in the Greater Virunga Landscape
• Build a shared vision for the GVL among collaborating conservation and development NGOs working alongside and in support of GVTC
• Agree a forward-looking GVL strategy and how best to collaborate in its implementation including via assigned roles and responsibilities
• Improve outcomes through better collaboration amongst NGOs, increase investments where there are gaps, and avoid duplication
• Agree some potential early projects where partners could collaborate and demonstrate the potential success of the initiative

The future structure and framework for collaboration is for members to determine and there is no presumption of its eventual shape. However, the initial idea is for it to be guided by a partnership agreement/ Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of like-minded member organizations seeking to work alongside and in support of Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration (GVTC). GVTC is an inter-governmental regional body mandated to enhance and facilitate conservation work in the GVL- https://greatervirunga.org).

Initial discussions have been very positive, but further consultations are needed to agree on the framework/structure of this collaboration and to agree terms of the partnership.

A legal and institutional development expert/ Firm is required to support the development of the GVL Initiative’s Collaboration Framework Agreement/ MoU and to manage the necessary consultative meetings/ discussions for its adoption.

Scope of work:

The consultant/Firm will help to originate the framework structure and facilitate a consultative process among partners in order to obtain input and consensus on the key provisions in the partnership document.

Currently we anticipate that there will be four strands to this work
1. Initial meeting/s between the consultant, WWF, GVTC and the Core Group of the Collaboration Partners
2. Desk work to review current available literature of the collaboration initiative to further develop the agreement about objectives, operating principles for the collaboration, governance framework and ways of working
3. Subject to the above, develop the partnership agreement/ MoU and consult member organizations to agree proposed content of the resulting draft partnership agreement/ MoU
4. Present the final version of the draft partnership agreement/ MoU to the core working group and the steering committee.

For further details, please download the tender document here:Terms of reference for GVL partnership agreement MoU

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Family photo of participants attending the GVL Partners meeting in Kampala 9 March 2023

“ A conservationist should be able to point out the economic value of the resources to protect. It is important to highlight the value and show what would be the loss in quantifiable terms, in case this or that protected area would be encroached on. That will help, when discussing with decision-makers and will compel national, regional and international actors in conservation.

This is one among the issues brought out by Dr. Andrew Seguya Ggunga during the in-person GVL partners meeting organized by WWF. This meeting brought together  Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration as an Interstate Organization between DRC, Rwanda and Uganda as well as other No Governmental Organizations involved in the conservation of the Greater Virunga Landscape, including mainly  WWF, WCS, IUCN, Jane Good All, AWF, ARCOS… with the aim of advancing the development of a collaborative partnership among NGOs devoted to the conservation and sustainable development of the GVL in partnership with mandated government agencies, GVTC, local NGOs and communities.

Dr. Andrew G Seguya Executive Secretary of  GVTC, addressing the meeting (from right to left: Dr. Andrew G. Seguya, ES GVTC, Mr. Wellard Makambo, Director IGCP, Mr. Marshall Banamwana, IUCN Rwanda staff, Mr. Fidele Ruzigandekwe, Deputy Executive Secretary for Programs GVTC)

The ultimate goal is for the collaborating NGOs to agree on mechanisms for joint knowledge management, project development and management, policy advice and strategic engagement in the GVL.

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