APA – Kigali (Rwanda) – The drought for the last few months has triggered wildfires in different parts of Nyungwe national park, one of the oldest rainforests in Africa, located in Southwestern Rwanda, an official source confirmed to APA Tuesday in Kigali.
The forest fire in Nyungwe natural reserve that started on August 20th is yet to be put out, according to Daniel Ndamyimana, the executive secretary of Bweyeye sector, in Southwestern Rwanda.
At least 30 hectares of the area has been destroyed in the wildfire, he said.
Nyungwe rainforest, home to about 300 bird species, nearly 30 of which are endemic to the Albertine Rift region, 75 known mammal species, 1,068 plant species, and 13 different primate species including the common chimpanzee, is known worldwide as one of the best-preserved montane rainforests in central Africa.
There are 280 bird species and a network of waterfalls, rivers and streams vital to Rwanda’s water resources.
The natural reserve provides 70 percent of Rwanda’s freshwater, according to conservations experts.
Rwanda has four national parks — Akagera National Park, Nyungwe National Park, Gishwati-Mukura National Park, and Volcanoes National Park.
CU/as/APA