Women as role models for conservation in Echuya Forest Landscape

From community radio stations to climate-smart farms and forest monitoring trails, women supported by AfricElle project are demonstrating how stronger livelihoods can contribute to protecting Echuya Central Forest Reserve.

In Southwestern Uganda, women living around Echuya Central Forest Reserve are taking an increasingly active role in conservation, showing how decisions made at household level can contribute to protecting one of the country’s important montane forests.

Through the AfricElle project, implemented by NatureUganda with financial support from NABU  (The Nature And Biodiversity Conservation Union), women’s groups in Rubanda and Kisoro districts are strengthening their livelihoods, sharing conservation messages and participating in efforts to safeguard the forest’s biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Echuya is home to diverse wildlife, including the globally threatened Grauer’s swamp warbler, and plays an important role in regulating water resources and supporting surrounding communities. However, pressure from activities such as unsustainable harvesting of forest resources continues to challenge its conservation.

AfricElle addresses these pressures by empowering women to become champions of nature conservation while promoting sustainable agricultural practices and alternative livelihood opportunities.

In September 2026, five (5) Women Communication Champions from communities around Echuya took their experiences to the airwaves, appearing on Voice of Muhabura 88.9 FM in Kisoro and Voice of Kigezi 89.5 FM in Kabale. For most of the women, it was their first time speaking on radio. They shared practical lessons from their groups, including sustainable farming, household financial management, agroforestry and beekeeping.

For Annet Akandinda of Karengyere Soil and Water Conservation Group, the journey has also challenged traditional perceptions of women’s roles in income-generating activities. She explained how her group had embraced beekeeping, harvested honey and begun sorting it by quality for sale. Her message to other families was clear: “conservation and livelihood activities are more effective when family members work together,” she said.

Their stories resonated with listeners, who called in to express interest in the project’s work, asking about joining groups, accessing seedlings and extending similar initiatives to wetlands.

This interest highlights the potential of community-led communication to inspire wider participation in conservation. When people hear practical experiences from neighbours they know and trust, conservation messages become more relatable and easier to apply.