A group of innovative young Rwandan naturalists—led by 19-year-old tourism graduate Joseph Desiré Dufitumukiza—has harnessed a free mobile app to record bird sounds and monitor species across the country. Since launching the Rugezi Ornithology Center in 2022, Dufitumukiza and his student volunteers have gathered over 120,000 bird-call recordings, which are stored at the University of Rwanda’s Centre of Excellence in Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management.
Nature website Mongabay says their twice-weekly expeditions not only introduce students to binocular and field guide usage, but also empower them to contribute meaningful data that can influence biodiversity management and preservation strategies .
This community-driven approach blends grassroots education with modern technology, making conservation more inclusive and data-rich. The effort is establishing a robust bird-sound library that supports environmental policymaking and may soon be expanded to cover other wildlife groups.
Read the full story at Mongabay
Feature image: A screen grab from the video of Joseph and students on the field.
