10 Years of the Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association
To celebrate 10 years of The Slow Cyclist, we have committed to raise £100,000 for 10 brilliant charities across our destinations. One of these is the internationally acclaimed Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association (RWCA). The organisation strives to protect and restore the country’s threatened wildlife and wild places. They raise awareness of conservation, engage local communities and educate the next generation.
Projects include combatting illegal wildlife tracking, saving endangered grey crowned cranes and planting indigenous trees to improve biodiversity. We spoke to the team about their current projects and what’s next.
Celebrating 10 Years
In 2015, Dr. Olivier Nsengimana, a vet and former gorilla doctor, founded the association in a bid to abolish the illegal trade of the endangered grey crowned cranes in Rwanda. His plan and ambition won him the Rolex Award for Enterprise which allowed him to start implementing his work.
The organisation is founded and run by Rwandans who come from and understand local communities. They know the challenges of conservation and can work with locals to find sustainable solutions. As well as their core team, RWCA works with 75 community rangers at Rugezi Marsh and over 100 community conservation champions based at key biodiversity hotspots across the country.
In 2025, RWCA celebrated 10 years of conservation projects while Dr. Olivier Nsengimana was awarded the Whitley Gold Award for his contributions to wildlife and wetland protection. Having started with a focus of protecting Rwanda’s grey crowned cranes, they now work across Rwanda and cross-border regions with Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi to protect a huge range of wildlife. Their focus is on empowering communities and inspiring the next generation of conservationists.
Grey Crowned Cranes
Without doubt, the most successful project of the last 10 years has been safeguarding Rwanda’s grey crowned cranes. They were commonly held captive in hotels and gardens of private houses, with many people not realising that there were laws to protect the endangered bird.
In 2015, there were believed to be less than 300 cranes in Rwanda with the population rapidly declining and heading towards extinction. Over the past 10 years, RWCA has removed all cranes from captivity and raised awareness about the need to protect them. In 2025, a census showed that there were 1,245 grey crowned cranes in the wild - a huge increase over the past decade.
In particular, Rugezi Marsh stood out as a true success story. Over a quarter of the country’s crane population calls the marsh home, which reflects the restoration efforts of the community rangers who have made the marsh a safe breeding ground.
Now, the association is focusing more efforts on working with neighbouring countries, combating illegal trade and synchronising policies across the region to remove threats. Although the census was a huge success, it has inspired RWCA to deepen their conservation efforts and protect wetlands all across the region.
Fundraising Impact
Our 10 year donation will be used to strengthen the team of community rangers at Rugezi Marsh, where we camp on our first night in rural Rwanda, and which is home to 82 bird species. Rangers are recruited from nearby communities and trained to patrol the marsh, reporting illegal activities such as grazing livestock, cutting grass and trees or occasional cases of poaching. They play a huge role in community engagement and education, organising community events and school visits. Not only does this activity reduce illegal activities, but it raises community awareness and offers employment and improved livelihood in local communities.
Learn More
Watch the video below to learn more about RWCA’s last decade of conservation, empowerment and passion. You can also read more about their projects on the Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association website.
If you'd like to explore the wetlands and wildlife of Rwanda, take a look at our Volcanoes and Gorillas journey through northern Rwanda or get in touch to find out more.
