Echuya

A(i)Site contains one or more globally threatened species, B(iii)Site contains an exceptional number of socially, economically or culturally valuable species

Echuya CFR qualifies as an IPA under sub-criterion A(i), with three trigger species: Kniphofia bequaertii (EN), Bothriocline ruwenzoriensis (VU) and Swertia adolfi-friderici (VU). This site is also of note as the only national locality, and globally only one of two localities, from which the subspecies Silene kigesiensis subsp. kigesiensis is known. Echuya CFR also triggers sub-criterion B(iii) for significant richness in useful plant species, encompassing 4% (43 spp.) of the national checklist.

Echuya Central Forest Reserve (CFR) is located in the Rukiga Highlands of southwestern Uganda and borders Rwanda in the south. The site is 5 km west of Lake Bunyonyi and 13 km east of Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and falls within Kisoro and Rubanda districts. At the centre of the site is Muchuya Swamp, a permanent alpine swamp, while the Kabale-Kisoro road runs through the reserve to the north of this swamp. This site is important for four globally threatened plant species but is under pressure from timber, bamboo extraction, and agricultural encroachment. Additionally, it is a site of great cultural importance to the Bahutu, Bakiga and Batwa, as it is considered the home of the indigenous Batwa people. Because of this, there are many culturally important locations throughout the CFR for spiritual ceremonies and worship.

There are three threatened species known from Echuya CFR. One of these species, Kniphofia bequaertii, is an Endangered herbaceous perennial known only from this site, the Virunga Mountains and the Mahali Mountains in Tanzania. K. bequaertii has previously been recorded as common in boggy valleys (Snowden #1514), very common in “water meadow” areas (Eggeling #961) and “moderately common” in bamboo forest (Tothilll #2745). There has not been a collected specimen of this species since 1948. However, 2021 transect surveys by Bitariho & Babaasa (2022) record K. thompsonii – this is more likely to be a misidentification of K. bequaertii, as K. thompsonii is only known from eastern Uganda, on Mount Elgon and Mount Kadam, and is not associated with waterlogged habitats like those of this site (Whitehouse 2002). Additional survey work, including the collection of voucher specimens, is needed to confirm its continued presence at this site.
Swertia adolfii-friderici is another herbaceous species associated with high-altitude wetland habitats. Assessed as Vulnerable, this species is an Albertine Rift endemic and is threatened at several sites by habitat loss, including through agricultural expansion and peat extraction (Fischer et al. 2019). This species is only known from a single collection at this site (Eggeling #1054), which was likely made in the early 1930s, given Eggeling’s collecting history. A second Vulnerable species, Bothriocline ruwenzoriensis, is a shrub from montane forest and woodland in the Albertine Rift and southeastern D.R. Congo. The last record of this species is from 1995 from bamboo forest (Friedberg & Yarom #17)
Silene (Lychnis) kigesiensis subsp. kigesiensis has been assessed as Least Concern, but remains of conservation importance as a subspecies that is known only from this site and Nyungwe Forest in Rwanda. The habitat of this taxon at Echuya has been described as ditches in swamps (Thomas #1062; Burtt #2932). At least three collections have been made at this site and, given this species’ highly restricted range, Echuya represents an important opportunity to conserve this subspecies globally.
Alongside rare and threatened species, this IPA also encompasses a significant richness in useful plant species. Many of these species have reported medicinal properties such as Dracaena afromontana, Piper capense, Hagenia abyssinica and Zanthoxylum asiaticum. Echuya triggers IPA criterion B(iii) with 43 useful plant taxa known from the IPA, totalling 4% of the national checklist. The site is the 14th richest site for useful plants in the IPA network.

Davenport et al (1999) also found several plants within Echuya that are range-restricted in Uganda. Some of these range-restricted species not found in any other forest within Uganda, include Choristylis rhamnoides, Crotalaria mildbraedii, Hypericum lanceolatum, Lobelia mildbraedii, and Lobelia stuhlmannii.

Surveys by Nature Uganda (2015) found that Echuya is dominated by broadleaf trees associated with secondary forest, most commonly Macaranga kilimandscharica, followed by Psychotria mahonii and Neoboutonia macrocalyx, with some areas of bamboo forest, consisting of Oldeania alpina (Davenport et al. 1996, Nature Uganda 2015, Hafashimana, pers. comm. 2024). The site is described by Langdale Brown et al. (1964) as Hagenia-Myrsine (Rapanea) Moist Montane Forest and Arundinaria (Oldeania) alpina Montane Bamboo. The formermost forest species, Hagenia abyssinica and Myrsine (Rapanea) melanophloeos, have been reported as occasional at these sites in more recent studies (Bitariho & Babaasa 2022; Davenport et al. 1996). Much of the broadleaf forest is located on the higher ground above the swamp, while mixed bamboo forests occur adjacent to swamp areas. In the centre of the reserve is Muchuya Swamp, a permanent, high-altitude swamp dominated by Carex and giant Lobelia spp. (Bitariho & Babaasa 2022).

The site's geology is predominantly phyllites and shales, with some quartz, quartzite, and granitic outcrops of the Karagwe-Ankole System. Soils are moderate to highly acidic humic red loams (Nature Uganda 2015).

Echuya is thought to be dominated by secondary forest (Nature Uganda 2015). The bamboo forests at this site are thought to be a pre-climax, successional stage that arose over 2,000 years ago associated with anthropogenic influences in the area (Taylor 1992). At the time Echuya was first gazetted as a forest reserve in 1939, the site was dominated by bamboo, however, stands of hardwood trees have replaced bamboo stands over the last 70 years possibly due to the exclusion of fire, herbivores and human activity (Banana & Tweheyo 2001).

While major disturbances may have declined over recent decades, surveys of the IPA by Nature Uganda found that over half of sites sampled showed signs of human activity. The site is the only source for bamboo in the Kigezi area, while livestock grazing has also been observed, particularly in the reserve edges, and in recent years agricultural encroachment has also been noted (Bitariho & Babaasa 2022). This encroachment appears to be in the northeast of the site, in the section along the Kabale-Kisoro road, and seems to be mostly limited to areas that were previously wheat and Barley trial plots/ sites, later replaced with pine plantation forest; although some broadleaf forest also appears to be impacted (Google Earth 2023). Nature Uganda (2015) recommend that there should be greater efforts to exclude these activities from the Strict Nature Reserve within the CFR while other forest activities, such as bamboo extraction, should be regulated as recommended within the reserve management plan.

In 2018 the National Forestry Authority (NFA) undertook an understorey clearance of 3.6 km2 of bamboo forest, equivalent to 11% of Echuya CFR, removing all tree saplings, vines, shrubs and lianas. The clearance was undertaken to promote bamboo growth, as supply was observed to be depleted in the local area (Bitariho & Babaasa 2022). The species richness of shrubs, lianas, vines and herbaceous plants in Echuya CFR has declined between 2015 and 2021, with this clearance thought to be the leading cause (Bitariho & Babaasa 2022).

As the rare and threatened species known from this site were collected in the decades where the bamboo forest continued to dominate, it is unclear what this reversion back to broadleaf forest has on these populations. Kniphofia bequaertii, for instance, was noted to be “moderately common in bamboo forest” (Tothill #2745) when collected in 1938, although this species is also known to be common in inundated grasslands from this site (Eggeling #961), so it is perhaps not too impacted by this habitat change. Detailed habitat information is absent for the other IPA trigger species and, therefore, further research is needed to establish which habitats these species are associated with and the impact of changing habitats at Echuya CFR.

Nature Uganda has been collaborating with partners to enhance biodiversity conservation and support sustainable livelihoods around Echuya. Working with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) in the 2000s, Nature Uganda undertook conservation actions including the development of Collaborative Forest Management agreements between local communities and the NFA, planting of 240,000 tree seedlings and 5,500 bamboo rhizomes outside the forest by communities and provision of training in sustainable, organic agriculture (RSPB 2023). More recently, Nature Uganda worked with communities and local government to develop by-laws for the conservation of water and soil in Echuya, including an accompanying radio awareness campaign about the importance of water and soil conservation for climate resilience (Birdlife International 2015). Despite these conservation initiatives, some of the threats to this site remain, while signs of anthropogenic influence increased between 2015 and 2021 (Bitariho & Babaasa 2022).

Echuya has been recognised as a Key Biodiversity Area as the site hosts globally important populations of two threatened mammals, Endangered narrow-headed shrew (Crocidura stenocephala) and Vulnerable Delany's swamp mouse (Delanymys brooksi), and the Endangered bird species, Grauer's Rush Warbler (Bradypterus graueri) (Plumptre et al. 2019). The site is also recognised as an IBA with 152 species known from Echuya (RSPB 2023).

The forest serves as an important catchment for the Muchuya perennial swamp, which flows River Chuya, which flows northwards, exiting the swamp at the point where the Kabale-Kisoro road passes close to the swamp. The river runs through the northern part of the reserve, later pouring its water into River Mukashaya, a perennial river, which forms the reserve's northern boundary. In the southern end of the swamp emerges River Kashasha (Kingston 1968). Water from the CFR is utilised for both livestock as well as domestic use, accessed mainly from Kabigunda, Mugasula and Ibaruzo (NFA & KADECA 2016).

The site is the rich in useful plant species (see Botanical Significance), with various plants and fungi harvested for subsistence and medicines. Wild honey from stingless bees is also used by the Batwa, as it is both food and a valuable medicine. They are permitted to harvest it within the CFR in July and August as well as within the buffer zone of the CFR outside of those months. The harvest of firewood is also permitted for domestic use, limited to the agreements made within the CFM plan. Materials for craftmaking, such as wetland grass for ropes or ‘emigoye’, are harvested for both sale and domestic use, with regulations for seasonal harvest. Hardwood pole cutting and Arundinaria bamboo harvesting has historically been reported from Echuya (Bitariho & Babaasa 2022; Nature Uganda 2015). Bamboo is traditionally of particular importance and is used to for fuel, construction and for producing household items such as granaries and baskets (Bitariho & McNeilage 2008). However, presently, bamboo harvesting is not permitted as the bamboo within the CFR has been nearly depleted. Similarly, the use of Smilax anceps, known as ‘ensuri’, a medicinally useful plant in combatting venereal diseases, is restricted until populations are further assessed for viability (NFA & KADECA 2016). There have also been reports of people crossing over from Rwanda to extract bamboo and peat soils for fertiliser (Daily Monitor 2018). The CFR also serves as important habitat for different plants, animals, insects and birds (see Conservation Issues), as well as microorganisms, though not yet well documented.

The forests of this site play an important role in water catchment and soil stabilisation, while they also help to conserve several threatened faunal taxa (Bitariho & Babaasa 2022). There is some ecotourism at this site, particularly from birders who are also visiting Mhaginga and Bwindi National Parks (Daily Monitor 2018). Echuya CFR is surrounded by four CFM groups, which also have an association for ecotourism development under their umbrella organisation Ecotourism Association (ECOTA) (Kazoora et al. 2020).

Assessed by:

Sophie Richards, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Iain Darbyshire, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Florence O'Sullivan, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Samuel Ojelel, Makerere University Herbarium

James Kalema, Makerere University Herbarium

Date of first assessment: 1st Nov 2024

Reviewed by:

David Hafashimana, Enviro-Impact and Management Consults (EIMCOL)