UWA Takes Charge Of Echuya As Kigezi Eyes New Tourism Boom

By Swift Reporter

The decision to place Echuya Central Forest Reserve under the management of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has triggered renewed calls to transform the Kigezi forest into a major tourism and conservation destination.

Local leaders, conservationists and tourism stakeholders in the region say the change in management presents an opportunity to restore degraded sections of the forest, strengthen protection of its biodiversity and unlock its potential as a tourism attraction.

For years, Echuya was managed by the National Forestry Authority (NFA). However, the Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Tom Butime, recently gazetted temporary measures transferring the management of Echuya, Bugoma and Bakaleba central forest reserves to UWA.

The measures, issued under Section 28 of the Uganda Wildlife Act, CAP 315, are expected to remain in place for six months as government moves towards having Parliament declare the forests wildlife conservation areas.

Former Kisoro LCV chairman Abel Bizimana, whose district council was among those that pushed for UWA to take over Echuya, said the change could mark the beginning of a broader tourism transformation in the region.

Bizimana urged government to consider compensating landowners occupying the corridor between Echuya and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, arguing that linking the two ecosystems would create a larger conservation landscape and increase tourism revenues for Kisoro and Rubanda districts.

He also called for increased investment in tourism infrastructure, including a regional cultural centre and a modern tourism information centre in Kisoro town, noting that the local government had already provided land for the proposed facility.

Beyond infrastructure, Bizimana wants UWA to explore the possibility of introducing more high-value wildlife attractions in Echuya.

He proposed habituating at least two mountain gorilla families or chimpanzees in the forest, arguing that Echuya shares ecological characteristics with Bwindi. He also suggested introducing golden monkeys as another potential tourism attraction.

Echuya’s biodiversity, he noted, already includes numerous bird species, butterflies, baboons and monkeys, giving the forest a foundation upon which a broader tourism product could be developed.

The International Gorilla Conservation Programme’s Uganda country coordinator, Henry Mutabaazi, described UWA’s takeover as a long-overdue intervention, saying concerns over the management of Echuya had persisted for years.

According to Mutabaazi, resolutions by the Kisoro and Rubanda district councils calling for stronger protection of the forest were driven by concerns over the degradation and exploitation of its resources.

He urged UWA to make restoration one of its immediate priorities, particularly in areas affected by agricultural activities and the planting of exotic tree species.

“Additionally, I recommend that UWA carries out restoration of degraded portions of the forest that were affected by cultivation of Irish potatoes. Also, complete removal of plantation stands of exotic tree species such as pine should be a priority to restore the integrity of the natural forest,” Mutabaazi said.

He said some parts of the forest had increasingly been used for livestock grazing, potato cultivation and suspected illegal mining activities, which he attributed partly to inadequate presence of forest managers.

Mutabaazi said Echuya’s ecological importance extends beyond tourism.

The forest is home to Albertine Rift endemic bird species, including the Grauer’s rush warbler found around the Muchuya swamp. It also supports blue monkeys, several small mammals and other wildlife species.

The Muchuya swamp is also an important water catchment, supplying water to River Kashasha in Kacerere Sub-county and contributing to water sources believed to replenish the Chuho system, one of the historic water sources serving Kisoro town.

The forest’s bamboo resources are equally important to surrounding communities, having traditionally provided raw materials for a range of local uses.

Mutabaazi said the transfer to UWA should therefore be viewed as an opportunity to secure Echuya for future generations.

He called on UWA to strengthen the forest’s boundaries, increase conservation awareness among neighbouring communities and maintain collaborative conservation arrangements that have previously involved NFA and Nature Uganda.

He further urged the wildlife authority to conduct a comprehensive assessment of Echuya’s biodiversity and natural resources to identify opportunities for sustainable tourism development.

The change has also attracted interest from the region’s tourism industry.

Kigezi Tourism Cluster chairman Canon Ivan Mbabazi Batuma, together with honorary wildlife officer Fidel Kanyamunyu, encouraged private investors to begin exploring opportunities around Echuya as the government moves towards potentially giving the forest national park status.

Batuma said the move to place Echuya under UWA could significantly strengthen the Kigezi tourism circuit by adding another attraction to a region already known for Bwindi and other natural and cultural tourism assets.

“As the Kigezi tourism cluster we welcome the putting of Echuya under the management of UWA because it boosts tourism in our area,” Batuma said.

Stakeholders now want government to use the six-month temporary management period to lay the groundwork for a long-term conservation and tourism strategy that balances wildlife protection, community interests and private investment.

If successfully implemented, they argue, Echuya could evolve from a forest primarily viewed as a conservation resource into a major tourism destination capable of generating income, supporting local communities and strengthening the wider Kigezi tourism economy.