Rwanda Biodiversity Specimen Portal

Rwandan amphibians are being studied by both local and international batrachologists. So far scientists have discovered two orders including Anura and Gymnophiona. An updated checklist is being developed.

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Ant species diversity is currently being studied in Rwanda. More than 110 species have been identified.
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Being a small country with an area cover of just 26,338 square kilometers, Rwanda contains the highest concentration of birds per square kilometer in Africa. Birdwatching in Rwanda is very rewarding with a massive a bird list of over 750 species. Though there are no birds endemic exclusively to Rwanda, it accounts for most of the Albertine Rift Endemic bird species (44), 27 of which are found in Nyungwe Forest alone.

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The Bryophyta s.l. are a proposed taxonomic division containing three groups of non-vascular land plants: the liverworts, hornworts and mosses. Bryophyta s.s. consists of the mosses only. They are characteristically limited in size and prefer moist habitats although they can survive in drier environments.

Diatom research and species identification has historically been well established in Central Africa but most commonly large bodies of standing water have been studied. In Rwanda, diatom research has not been well developed until recently. Currently, there is more research interest on using diatoms as indicators of water quality. Diatom taxonomy has undergone considerable changes during the last 3 decades with many new diatom genera being described. 

Advancing Environmental DNA Research Capacity in Rwanda to Inform Conservation Decisions Project.
An essential key to conserving biodiversity is understanding the current and historic composition of biotic communities. Environmental DNA (eDNA) is a cutting-edge tool for doing just that. It takes advantage of the fact that animals and plants shed their DNA and that DNA can reside in the sediments for 100’s to 1000’s of years. This DNA can be captured and sequenced to allow us to build a picture of both past and current environments. The Center of Excellence in Biodiversity and Natural Resources Management, University of Rwanda (UR) in partnership with researchers from the Congo Basin Institute at University of California, Los Angeles and CaleDNA at University of California, Santa Cruz are hosting a training workshop that shall take place at Akagera National Park and at the College of Science and Technology, UR. The workshop is funded by the National Geographic Society.

Currently, there are at least 82 species belonging to 12 families are known from Rwandese waters. With at least 37 species, cichlids are by far the largest fish family in the country followed by Cyprinidae, Mormyridae and Mochokidae, respectively represented by 24, six and four species. The other eight families are represented by one or two species only. The presence of at least 12 species is the result of introductions by humans.

Fish specimen collecting fieldwork and training was conducted from 23 August-4 September, 2021 and August 7-18, 2022. Several sites were visited and sampled within the Nyungwe National Forest including: the Kamiranzovu wetland; Swamp between Karamba and Kamiranzovu swamps southern edge; Bigugu Trail, and Kamiranzovu Trail, Isumo waterfall Trail, and Kitabi Creek. Specimens were collected in duplicate sets when possible to be deposited in the Royal Belgium Institute for Natural Sciences, Belgium. Specimens deposited in the CoEB Natural History Museum are planned to be digitized and published online.

Freshwater crabs of Rwanda are an understudied and an undercollected group. Rwanda is home to a few species of freshwater crabs, primarily belonging to the family Potamonautidae, which is the dominant family of freshwater crabs in Africa. The most well-known species found in Rwanda include: Potamonautes loveni, Potamonautes aloysiisabaudiae, Potamonautes obesus, Potamonautes niloticus, Potamonautes lirrangensis, and Potamonautes emini. These species of freshwater crabs are crucial to the health of Rwanda's aquatic ecosystems, contributing to the balance of the food web and the overall biodiversity of the region. However, many of these species are under pressure from habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change, making their conservation an important priority.
IUCN Redlist Checklist

The diversity of mushroom biodiversity gathered in the different ecosystems (savanna, woodland, montane forest, and exotic tree plantations) of Rwanda has been understudied. However, recent research has focused on the inventory of wild edible mushrooms in Rwanda focusing on their sustainable exploitation and their potential for cultivation. Wild mushrooms constitute an interesting and under-exploited resource in Rwanda. 

View iNaturalist Fungi of Rwanda

Despite its small geographical size, Rwanda is home to a diverse mammal fauna.  With a few exceptions, almost all of Rwanda's mammal species are represented in these four areas: Parc National des Volcans, Akagera National Park, Nyungwe National Park, and along the eastern shore of Lake Kivu. A total of 205 species have been identified within these four areas, though the presence of some species may be in doubt, some may become locally extirpated, and a few additional species may be found with more ground surveys.

Recent small mammal specimen collecting fieldwork and training was conducted in 2021 and from 7-20 August 2022. Several sites were visited and sampled within the Nyungwe National Forest including; Kamiranzovu Trail, Rukuzi Trail, Bweyeye Road at Busoro River, Uwasenkoko, Gasare, Ndambarare, Nyabishwati Trail, Uwinka Road, Ndambarare Waterfall, and Uwasenkoko. Specimens were collected in duplicate sets when possible to be deposited into the Research Museum Alexander Koenig (ZFMK), Germany. Specimens deposited in the NHR are planned to be digitized and published online.
Funding was provided by the Volkswagen Foundation.

Rwanda’s enchanting landscape, rich in biodiversity, has recently witnessed a remarkable rediscovery - the rescue of an IUCN Red Listed “extinct in the wild” waterlily, Nymphaea thermarum. This species is known as amarebe, or impohsa in the Kinyarwanda language. In the summer of 2023, a collaborative international team, in conjunction with local villagers, celebrated the rediscovery of a population. Since then, despite challenges such as habitat threats from farming activities and an extractive mining industry, conservation efforts are underway. N. thermarum was previously conserved only through exsitu botanical garden collections outside of Rwanda. Following its rediscovery in its native hot spring habitat, the opportunity for species conservation was initiated. The species, often renowned as the world ’s smallest waterlily, plays a crucial role in its unique ecological niche and holds local cultural significance. 

Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals, after Arthropoda; members are known as molluscs or mollusks. Around 76,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. Molluscs remain understudied in Rwanda.

This living orchid collection is a unque biodiversity resource spanning more than 30 years of regional collecting (1991) and today includes of more than 75 specimens growing in Kigali. Through a collaborative project we have inventoried and collected leaf samples for DNA barcoding. Our herbarium team (Pascal Sibomana and Sandrine Uwase, both Master’s candidates at the University of Rwanda) and Dr. Michael Thomas traveled to The African Centre for DNA Barcoding (ACDB) - a division of the department of Botany & Plant Biotechnology within the Faculty of Science at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa for DNA barcoding training and to initiate the DNA analysis. Specimens have been sequenced and data is unergoing analaysis.

The National Herbarium of Rwanda was founded in 1965 during the Belgian colonial period as part of the Institut de Recherche Scientifique en Afrique Centrale (IRSAC) which later became the Institut de Recherche Scientifique et Technologique (IRST) and subsequently the National Industrial Research and Development Agency (NIRDA). It was officially transferred to the University of Rwanda in August 2018 to preserve the collection. The collection was moved and rehoused in a repurposed building at the University of Rwanda, Huye and reopened in December 2018. During 2019 the herbarium specimens were databased and an emphasis on digitizing the collection has been prioritized.

Presently, the herbarium holds more than 19,000 plant specimens with major plant collectors including G. Troupin, G. Bouxin, M. Radoux, G. Michel, B. Runyinya, P. Auquier, P. van der Veken, J. Mvukiyumwami, J. Raynal, J.Lambinon, A.R. Christiaensen, and P. Bamps. It serves as a national reference centre and research is primarily focused on plant taxonomy, distribution, plant use and the conservation of Rwanda and East African plants. Investigation in plant distribution has been based on specific forest inventory and landscape surveys. A library collection is housed in the herbarium and serves as an indispensable research source. The Herbarium staff offer plant identification service which can be used by local and international researchers as well as by interested members of the public.

Reptilian specimen collecting fieldwork and training was conducted from 23 August - 4 September, 2021. Several sites were visited and sampled within the Nyungwe National Forest including: the Kamiranzovu wetland; Swamp between Karamba and Kamiranzovu swamps southern edge; Bigugu Trail, and Kamiranzovu Trail, Isumo waterfall Trail, and Kitabi Creek. Specimens were collected in duplicate sets when possible to be deposited in Sekenberg Museum of Zoology, Germany. Specimens deposited in the CoEB Natural History Museum are planned to be digitized and published online.

Funding provided by the Volkswagen Foundation

View iNaturalist - Reptiles of Rwanda