The human suffering in Rwanda during the 1990s was incalculable. But few outsiders realize that without intervention, the innocent victims of war might also have included the most endangered of humanity's close relatives - mountain gorillas.
Mountain gorillas are the world's rarest primates.
In addition, the tri-national Volcano National Park is surrounded by rapidly growing villages and farmlands, presenting a constant conservation challenge. Despite the presence of troops in the park, refugees moving through the mountains, and enormous pressure to resettle hundreds of thousands of refugees in protected areas, Rutagarama helped ensure that Rwanda's critical gorilla habitat remained protected. Indeed, it grew by 11 percent since 1989. Political and ethnic conflicts have long been part of Rwanda's history. He was forced to flee the country five times between 1960 and 1991.