Between June 3-5, Rwanda hosted the key events surrounding this year’sWorld Environment Day with participants from some 150 countries including a number of Hollywood stars. Under the theme, ‘Many Species, One Planet, One Future’, this year’s 3-day event has celebrated the incredible diversity of life on Earth as part of the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity.
According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Rwanda was chosen to host the event because of the strides made in environmental protection. Among Rwanda’s notable initiatives in nature conservation has been a ban on plastic wrappings and stringent protective measures for endangered mountain gorillas. Rwanda also features environment prominently in its Vision 2020 development plan.
Last year, nearly 1,000 projects from over 100 nations were submitted for competition. The best 15 were showcased in Kigali – from portable solar power for rural Bangladesh to floating wind turbines in Norway.
On June 5, World Environment Day (WED), Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame received the prestigious ‘Energy Globe Award’. The award was presented by the Energy Globe Foundation for what it said was his outstanding commitment to promoting environmental management.
Addressing thousands of Rwandans and invited guests from around the world, President Kagame said, “Rwandans are honored to host this year’s WED, which coincides with the International Year of Biodiversity.”
“Although we still face environmental challenges such as deforestation, erosion and landslides, our government has resolved to redress that situation by pursuing and implementing green policies.”
“We have dedicated almost 10 percent of our territory to the conservation of our biodiversity and we continue to sensitize our people so that they understand that, indeed, we have one future as far as this planet is concerned,” he added.
Endangered Species
On June 5, 14 baby gorillas were also christened. The gorilla-naming ceremony locally known as ‘Kwiti Izina’ coincided with WED, a yearly event like Earth Day that takes place in a different city with a different theme each year.
Counting the newly-named, there are about 750 mountain gorillas in the world which are endangered. More than half live in Virunga forest, which straddles Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and the rest live in Uganda’s Bwindi forest.
Since 2003, the number of gorillas in Rwanda has grown steadily as a result of official protection policies, and is now believed to number 320. Vital to this comeback are the rangers who risk their lives to track, monitor and protect the great apes. This year saw 14 baby gorillas born, bringing the total number of baby gorillas named to 105 since the annual Kwita Izina was launched in 2005.
“We celebrate the birth of baby gorillas because every birth is an important step towards achieving our vision to see the mountain gorillas move from being one of the world’s most endangered species to being some of the world’s best protected animals,” said John Gara, CEO of Rwanda Development Board that governs and regulates tourism activities.
Hollywood actor Don Cheadle, who starred in the movie Hotel Rwanda, announced that the name chosen by online users across the globe was “Zoya”. Zoya refers to life and light in several languages: it means “shining” in India, “alive” in Greek, and “twilight” in Iranian. Hundreds of people around the world voted for the name by text message, website, and even Twitter.
Goodwill Ambassador
Mr. Cheadle received applause when he was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) at the same ceremony. In his acceptance remarks, he praised Rwanda’s handling of the environment.
“You would think that a superpower like the United States or some of the countries in Europe would be leading in this area but we are trailing, in some regards, behind Rwanda,” said Mr. Cheadle.
“Rwanda’s ability to get ahead of the curve should be an inspiration to other countries in the world to do the same and avail themselves of the resources that they have to address this problem,” he added.
Rwanda expects to attract some 750,000 tourists this year, generating some $44.4 million. Gorillas are at top of the country’s tourist attractions.
The number of tourists tracking the gorillas in Rwanda, according to the Rwandan Development Board, has increased by 12 percent in the first quarter of 2010. From July to September 2009, which is the tourist high season, gorilla visits surpassed 156 people every day. Official statistics indicate that in the first quarter of 2010 gorilla visits have generated about $2.1 million with about 4,000 visitors.
The celebrations in Rwanda were among the thousands of events that took place around the globe as part of the World Environment day. From Hong Kong to Abidjan, Chile and Korea, thousands of activities were organized such as beach clean-ups, concerts, exhibits, film festivals, community events, and much more.
