Preparations for this year’s annual gorilla naming ceremony commonly known as Kwita Izina are underway with Rwanda promoting the co-existence of conservation and tourism for profit as this year’s highlight.

This ceremony will be the 12th edition of Kwita Izina and will be held on September 2 at the Volcanoes National Park in the country’s Northern Province.

Nineteen baby gorillas will be named this year, the oldest having been born just after last year’s ceremony, among them a set of twins.

The Rwanda Development Board, the government agency in charge of tourism and the ceremony also announced that a general population census of the gorillas in the Volcanoes National Park is currently ongoing, with the expected results to be published sometime next year. The last census was in 2010 and registered 480 individuals, a 26.3 per cent increase from 380 individuals in 2003.

Building on last year’s call to prioritise conservation in the promotion of sustainable tourism, RDB’s chief tourism officer Belise Kariza, said this year’s theme will be “United in driving growth through conservation.”

“Kwita Izina which will be part of the World Tourism month activities, will give Rwanda more exposure and accord us an opportunity to share our sustainable tourism and conservation story globally while showcasing the country as a remarkable tourism destination,” she said.

This year’s celebrations will span over one week and will include various activities to highlight the conservation theme. Crucial to note among the activities is the high level forum dubbed “Conversation on Conservation.”

The Conversation on Conservation forum was launched in 2015 with the objective of discussing Africa’s common challenges faced in conservation and tourism, debate and find practical solutions in addressing them collectively.

The 2015 forum highlighted the collaborative efforts with neighbouring countries as well as public-private partnerships that have improved the sustainability of tourism in the country.

This year’s forum will be special since it will precede the World Tourism month, a key period in the year that brings awareness to the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic value.

With tourism as the dominant sector of the economy, Rwanda has invested heavily in conservation and is slowly reaping the benefits.

In 2015, the country re-introduced lions at the Akagera National Park after a decade long absence and in the same year, Gishwati-Mukura was declared a fourth national park.

READ: Lions arrival turns around fortunes of Akagera park

This year’s Conversation on Conservation Forum will see world leaders in conservation and tourism converge in Rwanda to hold discussions under the theme “United in driving economic growth through conservation.”

“The event will provide a platform for Rwanda to share experiences with the rest of the world and discuss how we can all promote and improve the relationship between conservation and sustainable tourism. Rwanda is a country full of natural treasures which makes it a premier tourism destination where our inclusive approach to growing the industry is reflected in every product,” said Ms Kaliza.

Among the high level guests expected at this year’s forum is Sandy J. Andelman, the chief scientist and senior vice president of Conservation International. He is an expert on tropical ecosystems, biodiversity, climate change and interactions between the environment and human well-being.