Biodiversity 
The forest has about 137 species of birds, including 10 Albertine rift endemics and a significant population of the globally threatened Grauers Swamp Warbler. The forest lies between 2 north-south aligned ridges, with its eastern and western borders lieing essentially on the ridge tops and falling down steep sides into Muchuya swamp in the valley between. It ranges in altitude between 2,270 & 2,570 m.a.s.l. The forest is dominated by mature hagenia-rapenia comprising c.80% of the forest cover with a declining but significant mountain bamboo (arundinaria alpina) component, c.20% of the forest cover. Muchuya swamp is dominated by the sedge species Pycreus nigricans, with tree heather (Erica kingaensis), giant lobelia (lobelia mildbraedii) and red hot-pokers (kniphophia species) also notably common species.

The People around the Forest 
The forest is surrounded by areas with a very high rural population density that depends entirely on natural resources and forest products for their basic livelihood needs e.g. firewood, bamboo for construction, medicinal plants etc). Most of the landscape around Echuya has been deforested, leaving the Central Forest Reserve as the only source of forest products. The forest sorrounding communities have been using forest products unsustainably due lack of alternative sources of livelihoods hence degrading  the forest biodiversity resources.

The Project
The project at Echuya forest titled "Enhancing the livelihoods of Local Communities dependant on Echuya Forest reserve, Uganda" was initiated in response to the environmental concerns that were highly threatening the rich biodiversity of the forest. The 5 year project (running from 2004 -2008)is funded by the Civil Society Challenge Fund (CSCF) of the UK Government’s Department for International Development (DFID) through RSPB-The UK BirdLife partner. It is implemanted  by NatureUganda in collaboration with the Ugandan National Forestry Authority (NFA). KULIKA UK and CARE Uganda are providing co-funding to this project and supporting additional work in the area. Other partners include Kabale and Kisoro Distrcit local gorvenments,  Africa2000Network (A2N), KULIKA Charitable Organisations in Uganda and United Organization for Batwa Development in Uganda (UOBDU)-an indigenous umbrella organisation for the indgenous batwa. Project activities are guided by a Project Advisory Committee (PAC) comprised of project partners and including represenatives of the Forest Adjacent Communities (FACs) who meet regularly to provide technical advice to the project implementing team.

Project achievements
Through the above collaboration structure, the project has managed to achieve a number of successes and these include;

• Increased collaboration between NFA and Local forest adjacent communties: following the successful negotaition and signing of Collaborative Forest Managament agreements between FACs and NFA, there has been harmonised and streamlined access to forest resources by the local communities. Over 600 Batwa and 1020 households of other community members now have access to forest products under agreed arrangements through CFM agreements, community attitude towards the forest is very positive and this has promoted the co-management of the forest  by NFA and other stakeholders. NFA and Community relationships which had hitherto been hostile  have greatly improved.
• Environmental education and awarenes programme among schools and local communities has helped in shaping the attitudes and practices of the local people and to engage in activities aime sustainable natural resource management. 15 primary schools and over 3000 households in the project area are actvely involved in positive environmental practice actvities.  
• As part of the livelihood improvement and provision of alternative sources of forest based resources, different Income Generating Activities such as mushroom growing, bee keeping,  fruit growing, Sustainable Organic Agriclture (SOA) activities - including vegetable growing and agroforestry are now being implemented by over 1200 households and this has increased economic activities thus contributing to alternative sources and options for livelihood improvement by approx 30%.
• Capacity of local communities including the UOBDU and the CFM associations to advocate for local rights, benefits and participation in natural resources have improved .This has empowered communities, especially the marginalised batwa groups to engage and negotiate with NFA for their rights and access to forest resources.
• Being a hilly terrain, soil erosion is a common phenomenon leading to degradtion of soils and hence less productive. In order to address this, the project supports a programme to establish soil erosion control structures. Todate, a total of 438 soil and water conservation trenches covering an approximate two square kilometres were constructed. This has tremendously minimized soil erosion at those sites and improved soil fertility while stabilization materials such as Stallia and Agroforestry trees are now being used as fodder, firewood, and housing materials. This has resulted into increased crop yields (approx 35%) and offered alternative sources to forest resources thus reduced pressure (approx 23%) on Echuya Forest,
• 240,000 trees and 5000 bamboos have been planted by about 700 households. This has increased tree coverage in the project area and will help FACs to access firewood, poles; bean stakes and handicraft materials in future providing an alternative to the forest resource.