Mount Otzi Forest Reserve is an important place for the surrounding people because bamboo poles and other non-timber goods are crucial for building materials and also provide lumber.

[1][2][3][4][5] The Mount Otzi Central Forest Reserve was established in 1933 to safeguard the water catchment area for the neighboring River Achwa.

Due to the reserve's minimal population density, as well as steep slopes and harsh terrain that impede farming, it is largely intact save for lightly encroached pockets, primarily at lower altitudes.

Falco alopex, a species limited to the Sudan-Guinea Savanna ecosystem, has only been recorded at one other location in Uganda, Kidepo Valley (IBA UG030).

Otzi is home to three restricted-range small mammals, including the shrew Crocidura cyanea, which was previously thought to be a southern African species.

[10] Other notable bird species in the Forest Reserve include the purple glossy starling, the white chestnut turaco, black-bellied firefinch, the bronze-tailed glossy starlings, Red-throated bee-eater, Piapiac, foxy Cisticola, Uganda's spotted woodpecker, the brown-rumped bunting, Chestnut crowned sparrow weaver, red pate Cisticola, Emin's shrike and the black-rumped waxbill among others.

[10] The Mount Otzi Forest Reserve is facing a number of threats, including logging, agricultural encroachment, and charcoal burning.

[3] Due to the sparse population density around the reserve, as well as steep slopes and rugged terrain which limit cultivation, it is mainly intact except for light encroached enclaves, mainly at the lower altitudes.

The Forest Reserve's tree species distribution was significantly affected by altitude, fire, farm lands, fallow, and felling by cutting, according to Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA).