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| Gishwati Forest |
Gudula, a young Rwandan scientist joins the
team. She will replace Assoumpta for the
rest of our stay. After the Amanita saga of Bweyeye, it’s the second stage of our mission: the study of mushrooms in the Gishwati
Forest, of course, the edible species.
What remains of the forest is only a small garden in comparison to the
original surface area of 28.000 hectares in 1970. Today, the forest is little more than 1.500
hectares of its former glory… an enormous loss.
The causes are well known, agriculture, free grazing of cattle, and… relocation of refugees after the genocide and the introduction of non-native
tree species. Also, well know are the
very negative consequences of such a huge loss of virgin montane forest –
soil erosion, reduction in soil fertility and perhaps most significantly the
loss of biodiversity. We will never know
what species have been lost since they never been studied by scientists. The
few remaining chimpanzees and golden apes must feel very crowded in such a
small living space.
Nevertheless, there is still hope! All may not be lost forever for these
isolated animals. There are current
plans to create a ‘green corridor’ to connect this isolated forest with the
Nyungwe National Park. If these plans
ever become reality, this would offer a real lifeline for the continued
existence of the Gishwati Forest and its endangered inhabitants.
In the next days the team will have to work
in an already difficult context. Will they find here a diversity of mushrooms?
And will it be as rich as in the mountains of Nyungwe and on the Volcanoes?
Only the future will tell…
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| Sunset on Lake Kivu |
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