The Churiya range gradually rises from the flat plain up to the middle hills. LRMP (1986) has estimated that Churiya region covers approximately 13% of Nepal's total area. The Churiya range consists of hills, steep lands, slopes, gorges large spans of river and temporary streams. At places this range is highly widened encompassing large valleys, called inner Terai. The Churiya is a fragile land system considered having one of the world's most important sources of the later tertiary fossils of mammals and provides a basis for much of our current knowledge about the evolution of fauna.
The project area Danabari VDC is a small valley formed by the Mai River. It represents Churian type with valleys, ridges, dense forest and river. About 33% of the total area of the VDC is covered by forest and inhabited by about 11,000 people.
The Churian vegetation is rich in non-timber forest products and about 58 species are currently used in trade. However, such valuable resources are being over or under harvested. Likewise, encroachment, poor forest management and frequent forest fire are the major reasons for the degraded landscape of the Churian Hills. Thus the project is aimed at conservation of these rich ecosystems with equal emphasis on the sustainable livelihood of the people