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.