Volcans

On international level, the Volcans Biosphere Reserveis part of the Albertine Rift, a very important ecological structure in the region of eastern and central Africa. It is a home to a bigger number of the fauna and flora species that are endemic to the sub region. It has the privilege of sheltering of one of the four big primate species that are found on earth, the Mountain Gorilla, an endemic and endangered sub species that lives only in two massive forests of Bwindi impenetrable National Park and the Virunga Mountains of which the core area of Volcans Biosphere Reserve is part. Mountain Gorillas attract thousands of international tourists annually, thus becoming a symbol of hope for Rwanda.Together with its neighboring protected areas, the Biosphere Reserveforms the Virunga Mountains, a unique trans-frontier in the region, the first experiences of the regional collaboration for several areas.On national level, it regulates climate with many other ecological services: Regional Natural forests play an important role in regulation of precipitation, as it rains three times more in virunga volcanoes than in the neighborhood. More than 300,000 persons directly depend on water supply from the forest.During the last three decades, habitat and ecosystem structure has remained less impacted by human interventions due to the efforts by institutional management in collaboration with community conservation. For instance, the population of Gorilla beringei beringei (the most vulnerable species of this protected area) has increased in the last two decades.