Yvette Umurungi

Yvette Umurungi

A certiļ¬ed environmentalist, she serves as a Biodiversity Conservation Planning Expert at Biodiversity Conservation Organization Rwanda. Previously, she was a Biodiversity Sector Specialist and National Coordinator for the Biodiversity Finance Initiative Project at the Rwanda Environment Management Authority. She holds degrees in Biology-Zoology and Conservation and an MSc in Biodiversity Conservation and Natural Resources Management.

Nyungwe National Park (NNP) is a Congo basin tropical rainforest that provides habitat to numerous threatened and endemics species. The forest contributes a lot to the carbon sequestration and mitigation to the climate change and provides 70% of the water we use in Rwanda. Nyungwe is surrounded by a buffer zone currently being managed by the Ultimate Forest Company. And the company is also interested in Biodiversity Conservation. Although the park’s biodiversity richness, little is known about the biodiversity and water quality of its aquatic ecosystem. The research will assess the aquatic biodiversity and water quality using bio-indicators to understand the health and diversity of aquatic species in the Rubyiro and Kamiranzovu rivers in the NNP and its buffer zone. Specifically, the research will identify the algal and fish diversity, and, assess the water quality using algae as a bioindicator and the physicochemical parameters of Rubyiro and Kamiranzovu rivers. An aquatic biodiversity checklist and recommendations will be provided for the better management of the park and its buffer zone. And also, the species records will be published through an online database. Additionally, the research will recommend the exploration potentials to investors in the promotion of Nyungwe Water to the market.