Iowa's Great Ape Trust and Earthpark have joined with the Rwandan federal and local governments to promote the reforestation of Gishwati Forest and the conservation of a small group of chimpanzees that live there.

To report on the project’s work and Rwanda’s efforts to create an eco-friendly economy, Des Moines Register reporter Perry Beeman visited the east-central African country for five weeks on a grant from the International Reporting Project. His 3-part series ran December 20-23, 2009.