Rwanda and Burundi, two countries that have suffered concurrent ethnic strife and civil war, signed an agreement last month to establish a transnational conservation area. The newly demarcated area encompasses the largest swath of mountain forest remaining in East Africa.

The agreement covers Rwanda’s Nyungwe National Park and Burundi’s Kibira National Park, together representing 1,400 square kilometers in the species-rich Albertine Rift eco-region. This area is home to endangered chimpanzees, owl-faced monkeys, and at least eight threatened bird species.

The two parks have come under pressure in recent years because of increased demand for bamboo and timber, in addition to lucrative gold and coltan deposits within park boundaries. Bi-national cooperation will aid the policing of poachers and illegal harvesters and will also improve monitoring of threatened species that frequently cross the border between the two countries.

Tourism is a major sector in East Africa, and Burundi hopes this conservation agreement will help lift the country out of its post-war economy by attracting foreign visitors and foreign dollars.

“This [conservation agreement] is the beginning of a long relationship that will lead to the development of both countries, particularly Burundi, since our tourism sector has been underdeveloped due to war. Since the war is ending, Rwanda will show us the way,” said Adelin Ntungumburanye, the director of the Burundi National Institute for Nature and Environmental Conservation (INECN), as reported by AllAfrica.com.

The Rwanda-Burundi agreement is the latest in a growing trend of cross-border protection agreements. In 1988, 59 cross-border agreements were in place. Twenty years later, at least 188 cross-border agreements are in place, covering over 800 protected areas in 112 countries around the world. These cooperation zones represent at least 17 percent of protected areas worldwide.