Meet the team

  • Eugene Rutagarama

  • Eugène Rutagarama, Director

  • Director
  • Master of Science in applied ecology and conservation

  • Exiled at the height of the conflict in Rwanda, he returned home to rebuild the national park system and protect crucial mountain gorilla habitat. Eugène's invaluable contribution to grass-roots conservation earned him two prestigious prizes, the Jean Paul Getty Prize and the 2001 Goldman Environmental Prize, conservation's equivalent of the Nobel Prize. In June 2007, he was featured as a CNN hero “Defending the Planet.”

  • Beda Mwebesa

  • Beda Mwebesa

  • Conservation Incentives Coordinator
  • Master of Science in Agricultural Extension Education

  • Beda joined IGCP in 2010 from a number of years working with CARE International. He is a disciplined and meticulous agricultural extension specialist and has been working with decades with some of the same communities that IGCP works with. Although based in Kabale, Uganda, his responsibilities are to coordinate IGCP’s conservation incentive programmes throughout the region.

  • Benjamin Mugabukomeye

  • Benjamin Mugabukomeye

  • Conservation Incentives Officer
  • Diploma in Wildlife

  • Benjamin joined IGCP in 2010 after a comprehensive career with the Rwanda Development Board. He knows the day-to-day rigor necessary to protect mountain gorillas and to work with communities that depend on and work with the park. He began his work in conservation as a tourist guide in Volcanoes National Park and most recently as Warden in charge of Law Enforcement for Volcanoes NP.

  • Stephen Asuma

  • Stephen Asuma

  • Program Officer
  • Bachelor of Science in wildlife biology and applied parasitology & entomology

  • With many years of experience as a park manager, Stephen brings on-the-ground operational strength to IGCP. A strong, authoritative character, he is adept at persuading people to agree on a chosen course of action.

  • Augustin Basabose

  • Augustin Basabose

  • Species Coordinator
  • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in zoology

  • Augustin has played a lead role in the conservation of great apes in Central Africa for more than 15 years. He is the currently leading the Ranger-Based Monitoring Program, and also acting as the Country Representative in DRC. Augustin provides extensive primatological field research knowledge to strengthen IGCP’s mountain gorilla conservation impact in Virunga Massif and Bwindi Impenetrable forest.

  • Eugene Rurangwa

  • Eugene Rurangwa

  • TBNRM/Advocacy Coordinator
  • Master of Science in environment and development

  • Eugene Rurangwa is responsible for transboundary coordination beyond IGCP, specifically the three Protected Area Authorities (PAAs) as well as other NGOs. Eugene joined IGCP in 2009 after a long career both in the Rwandan Ministry of Lands, Environment, Forestry, Water and Mines and also the Rwandan Ministry of Agriculture. From 1999 to 2008, he was in charge of the Registrar of Land Titles in Rwanda. He now also serves as IGCP Rwanda Country Representative.

  • Altor Musema

  • Altor Musema

  • Program Officer
  • Master of Science in applied biology

  • Though coming from an academic background, Altor has embraced the conservation field work with enthusiasm. Working in a challenging environment doesn't stop him from energetically moving the programme's conservation agenda.

  • Maryke Gray

  • Maryke Gray

  • Technical Advisor
  • Master of Science in botany/zoology (First Class)

  • Maryke works regionally on fundraising and grant management, tracking the conservation impact of all activities to ensure that IGCP is focusing on and achieving its targets. An independent Aussie, she is a born field operative with first class mapping and GIS skills.

  • Wellard Makambo

  • Wellard Makambo

  • Grants Manager
  • Bachelor of Commerce

  • A multinational traveler who often appears at all IGCP offices in the space of a week, Wellard was born in Burundi and raised in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree, with a major in Business Administration from Catholic University of Eastern Africa in Nairobi, Kenya.

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  • Anna Behm Masozera

  • Anna Behm Masozera

  • Communications Officer
  • Master of Science in forest resources and conservation

  • Anna serves as Communications Officer for IGCP. Originally from the United States, she now calls the hills of Rwanda home. A conservationist at heart, she takes great pride in showcasing the important work of IGCP staff and partners.

  • Richard Chota

  • Richard Chota

  • Finance and Administration Officer
  • Bachelor of business administration

  • Richard joined IGCP in 2010 and is based in the Kabale office. He is a member of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants and also a Certified Public Accountant in Uganda. Prior to working with IGCP, he was at a public auditing firm and is originally from Moyo District. When not crunching numbers for IGCP, Richard enjoys social events, reading, and participating in many different sports.

  • Rosy Kabeya

  • Rosy Kabeya

  • Finance and Administration Assistant, DRC
  • Bachelor of business administration

  • Rosy has been with IGCP since 2000 and is based in Goma, DRC. She makes logistics in and around Goma easy when in reality they are anything but.

  • Celestin Niyonteze

  • Celestin Niyonteze

  • Finance and Administration Officer
  • Bachelor of business management

  • Celestin joined IGCP in 2009 and handles the day-to-day financials for both the IGCP regional office and IGCP Musanze office. Before joining IGCP, Celestin worked in a financial management capacity for both Food for the Hungry International as well as World Vision.

  • Jerome Baguma

  • Jerome Baguma

  • Driver

  • Jerome has been the driver for the IGCP Goma office since 2003. He easily maneuvers our vehicles through the challenges of rural roads in DRC and allows us access to all areas of the Mikeno Sector of Virunga National Park. He is an avid fan of mountain gorillas and regularly visits the mountain gorillas on the DRC side.

  • Ephrem Chirimwami

  • Ephrem Chirimwami

  • Security Guard/Caretaker

  • Ephrem has worked with IGCP since 2008 and serves as the gentle security guard and caretaker of the IGCP Goma office.

  • Wilbur Kaiire

  • Wilbur Kaiire

  • Logistician and Driver

  • Wilbur is the logistician and driver for the IGCP Kabale office. He has been with IGCP since 1996 and makes things run smoothly both in the office and in the field. Wilbur is originally from eastern Uganda.

  • Diogene Kamezusenge

  • Diogene Kamezusenge

  • Driver
  • Bachelor of Commerce

  • Diogene is the driver for the IGCP Musanze office. He knows how to navigate the bumpy volcanic roads around Volcanoes National Park. He has been working with IGCP since 2007.

  • Jeannette Murangamirwa

  • Jeannette Murangamirwa

  • Office Assistant

  • Jeannette has been with IGCP since 2008 and helps keep the IGCP Regional Office in Kigali running smoothly.

  • Andre Nzasebera

  • Andre Nzasebera

  • Security Guard/Caretaker

  • Andre is the caretaker of the Musanze office, which also routinely serves as a guest house for visiting IGCP staff.

  • Emily Tumubweine

  • Emily Tumubweine

  • Office Assistant

  • Emily has been taking care of the IGCP Kabale office since 1998. A native of Kabale, she keeps the office running well and always stocked with fresh tea and coffee.

  • Team spirit

  • IGCP has focused on developing a team of African conservation professionals with a range of complementary strengths and expertise. Although each team member has specialist skills, the demands of the programme dictates that staff must be flexible, versatile and supportive.

    This strong sense of collective responsibility and loyalty to the cause means that the team is greater than the sum of its parts. According to the former Director of IGCP Drs Annette Lanjouw, “A shared sense of humour has no doubt helped everyone to cope with the many challenges of operating in a war zone”.

  • Local partners

  • The programme is structured to provide permanent technical support to the protected area authorities of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

    These are, respectively, the Office Rwandais du Tourisme et des Parcs Nationaux (ORTPN), the Ugandan Wildlife Authority (UWA) and the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN).

  • Board members

  • Daudi Sumba, Regional Director for Eastern Africa, African Wildlife Foundation
  • Katie Frohardt, Executive Director, Fauna & Flora International
  • Taye Teferi, East Africa Regional Programme Country Representative, World Wide Fund for NatureWWF

  • Park Wardens

  • Emmanuel De Merode – Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo
  • Prosper Uwingeli – Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda
  • Nelson Guma – Bwindi Mgahinga Conservation Area
Latest news & posts
  • Rwanda increases the price of a mountain gorilla permit

    Rwanda increases the price of a mountain gorilla permit

    In an announcement made today, the Rwanda Development Board has raised the price of a permit issued to experience mountain gorillas in Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park from 500 USD to 750 USD for foreign nationals...

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    Touched by a Wild Mountain Gorilla

    Touched by a Wild Mountain Gorilla

    I’ll admit it, we all crave it, even those of us working in mountain gorilla conservation- direct physical contact with mountain gorillas. Katie Frohardt wrote about her impulse to touch a mountain gorilla in her...

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    IGCP Launches Rainwater Harvesting Campaign in DRC

    IGCP Launches Rainwater Harvesting Campaign in DRC

    Perusi Florence and her brother Tuyambaze will start the year 2012 with a burden relieved. They will no longer walk an hour to fetch water every morning. They will no longer have to pay 2,000 Uganda Shillings (the...

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    20 Years of IGCP: Humanism in wildlife conservation

    20 Years of IGCP: Humanism in wildlife conservation

    If I've learned anything in my short time with the multi-lingual IGCP it is that many things, like meaning and intent, can get lost in translation. That is why I am leaving this testimony by Paulin Wilondja-As-Ngobobo,...

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  • Putting Herself Out There: Harriet’s Bwindi experience

    Putting Herself Out There: Harriet’s Bwindi experience

    When we checked in on progress of the Bwindi census in September, we met Harriet Kyakyo, a volunteer with the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the only woman participating in the census as a team member. She ended up...

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    From Virunga (Central Africa) to Ometepe Island (Central America), Part 1

    From Virunga (Central Africa) to Ometepe Island (Central America), Part 1

    Eugène Rutagarama here, Director of the International Gorilla Conservation Programme. And the first thing I should do is explain where 'here' is. I am writing these line sitting at the balcony of Punta Theonoste, a...

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    Integrated efforts in Enterprise, Environment and Equity

    Integrated efforts in Enterprise, Environment and Equity

    Fact: The plight of mountain gorillas cannot be separated from the plight of people. Human population densities in the mountain gorilla region can touch in some areas to 1,000 people per square kilometer (note, that's...

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    20 Years of IGCP: A Love Story – Twice Over

    20 Years of IGCP: A Love Story – Twice Over

    In this tribute to the 20 years of IGCP as a coalition of the African Wildlife Foundation, Fauna & Flora International, and the World Wide Fund for Nature, Rebecca Lomax-Sumner describes a life-changing visit to...

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