Rural communities surround the forested component of the mountain, with subsistence agriculture being the main economic activity and livelihood security being the dominant concern. There is a daunting challenge of the mountain ecosystem to maintain the ever increasing demands of the people on a sustainable basis.  Livelihoods and Landscapes will be implemented in 2 nested landscapes with the ecosystem.  One of the two targeted nested landscapes is called the Benet Area found in Kapchorwa District.  This land scape borders the Mount Elgon National Park in Uganda. Hence we hope to work closely with the Uganda Wildlife authority, The Kapchorwa district local government and the communities taking advantage of the existing structure and systems of the MERECP program.

Currently, the Forest Conservation Programme is implementing the MERECP programme within the ecosystem. Its main goal is to ensure the ecological integrity of the protected components of the ecosystem and the productivity of surrounding landscape collectively enhances sustainable development for the well-being of the people and environment.

Livelihoods and Landscapes will complement the MERECP program and enhance synergies through the promotion of the landscape approach towards natural resources management. It will focus more on enhancing the achievements under the second objective of the MERECP programme which is to enhance conservation development in Mt Elgon ecosystem. It will build on outputs and achievements met by MERECP program so far. For example, Whereas MERECP has supported development of enterprises such as bee keeping and livestock production. The communities are still struggling with marketing their products. Hence Livelihoods and Landscapes will support the enhancement of markets for these enterprises.

Livelihoods and Landscapes also supports landscape restoration and management in areas such as river banks to enhance flow of environmental goods and services, Agro forestry, woodlot establishment to meet the increasing fuel needs of the population, access to forest resources through collaborative mechanisms.