National Geographic Society

Post by Molly Feltner

Art of Conservation (Art for Gorillas) (AoC), a Rwanda-based organization that runs an intensive conservation education program in primary schools surrounding Volcanoes National Park, kicked off its 2010 school year this month. This year the project has expanded to work with 200 students at Nyange and Rushubi Primary schools. The project's main objective is to teach Rwandans good health and conservation habits that will benefit both people and animals--especially the 300 or so endangered mountain gorillas living in the national park. Teaching child to appreciate wild animal species for their beauty, remarkable behavior, and rareness is also key.

Julie Ghrist, AoC's Director, led the first two weeks of classes with support from veteran staff members Valerie Akuredusenge and Innocent Uwizeye and new teacher Olivier Habimana. This first week served as a chance for the AoC team to present themselves and their program to the students. Students in all four classes (the staff teaches two classes of 50 students each at both Nyange and Rushubi Primary schools) arrived excited--many had heard about the program from their peers in 2009 classes and were eager to participate.

The children were thrilled but somewhat puzzled when the team arrived to class to with a giant gorilla. At first some students thought the gorilla was real, and shrank back, but quickly realized it was a stuffed toy when Julie moved its arm to shake hands with them. This encounter was meant to be the icebreaker for a conversation about conservation that will continue and deepen as the school year progresses.

AoC jumped into its core curriculum the second week of classes, beginning a series of lessons about health. Many mountain gorilla experts believe that if the local population living near gorilla habitat develops good health habits, they can help prevent the spread of disease to gorillas, which are at risk for many of the same diseases that affect humans. In upcoming classes, AoC will expand on the basics and teach lessons focused on topics such as personal hygiene, oral health, and nutrition.

You can follow AoC's progress and make donations through the Art for Gorillas blog on Wildlife Direct.

Guest post by Molly Feltner

A new alternative fuel project recently launched in Rwanda promises to combat the deforestation of national parks where mountain gorillas live. The Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP) and Art of Conservation, have partnered together to introduce the new alternative fuel technology--fuel briquettes composed of recycled materials that can be made easily with simple wooden presses--to the communities living near mountain gorilla habitat.

The project's main objective is to help wean Rwandans off charcoal. Charcoal is a vital fuel source for most Rwandans, but the environment pays a heavy price. Much of the wood used to produce charcoal in the region is harvested illegally from the Virunga rainforest, which combines Volcanoes National in Rwanda, Virunga National Park, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mgahinga National Park in Uganda. About 450 of the world's remaining 750 mountain gorillas live in the Virunga rainforest, so protection of this forest habitat is essential to the species' survival.

Fuel briquettes pose a potential anecdote to the charcoal problem. The technology was first championed in DRC by Virunga National Park, where the problem of illegal deforestation is most severe. Now, MGVP, which works with mountain gorillas in Rwanda, DRC, and Uganda, and Art of Conservation, a conservation education project, are seeking to replicate this effort in Rwanda.

At MGVP's invitation, Virunga National Park's briquette expert came to Rwanda in early December to train a group of 20 Rwandans to make fuel briquettes. The trainees were all either participants in MGVP's agriculture partner farm program or members of a community living near Volcanoes National Park sponsored by Art of Conservation.

Typically a team of six people works together using a briquette kit, which costs about $300 USD to make. When a team becomes practiced they will be able to make 1,000 briquettes per day--enough fuel to supply a typical Rwandan family of eight for a month.

Immaculee Uwimana, one of MGVP's agriculture partners, is using a briquette press donated by Virunga National Park to start the initial production of briquettes in Rwanda. MGVP recently purchased Uwimana's first batch of 500 briquettes to use at the MGVP headquarters in Musanze. Art of Conservation Director Julie Ghrist bought six additional 100-kilo sacks of briquettes for her staff to use.

Much effort is still necessary to ensure the success of fuel briquettes in Rwanda. In addition to building more presses, MGVP and Art of Conservation will coordinate future trainings and marketing and help Rwandans to develop of successful business model for briquette production. We hope they'll find the right model and get the funding they need to support their project.

To help, make donations to MGVP and Art of Conservation