Conservation Through Public Health

CONSERVATION THROUGH PUBLIC HEALTH (CTPH) PROMOTES BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION BY ENABLING PEOPLE, GORILLAS AND OTHER WILDLIFE TO COEXIST THROUGH IMPROVING THEIR HEALTH AND COMMUNITY LIVELIHOODS IN AND AROUND AFRICA'S PROTECTED AREAS. CTPH HAS THREE INTEGRATED PROGRAMS: WILDLIFE HEALTH AND CONSERVATION, COMMUNITY HEALTH, AND ALTERNATIVE LIVELIHOODS IMPLEMENTED THROUGH SERVICE DELIVERY, EDUCATION AND BEHAVIOR CHANGE COMMUNICATION, RESEARCH, ADVOCACY, SOCIAL ENTERPRISES AND INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION, AND TECHNOLOGY (ICT). CTPH CHAMPIONS A "ONE HEALTH" AND CONSERVATION OR INTEGRATED POPULATION, HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT (PHE) APPROACH THAT ADDRESSES HUMAN, ANIMAL, AND ECOSYSTEM HEALTH TOGETHER. CTPH'S WORK PRIMARILY FOCUSES ON ENDANGERED GORILLAS AT BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK AND OTHER PROTECTED AREAS IN AFRICA WHERE GORILLAS NATURALLY OCCUR. WE ALSO TRAIN AND INFLUENCE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS TO ADOPT OUR ONE HEALTH MODEL IN SAVANNAH, MOUNTAIN, AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS THROUGH ADVOCACY

WILDLIFE HEALTH. WITH SUPPORT FROM TUSK TRUST, THE INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE (IUCN) SAVE OUR SPECIES (SOS) AND EUROPEAN UNION, MILKYWIRE, AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION NETWORK (WCN), WE EQUIPPED THE SECOND BLOCK OF THE GORILLA HEALTH AND COMMUNITY CONSERVATION CENTRE TO CONDUCT A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF PATHOGENS IN GORILLAS, PEOPLE, AND LIVESTOCK. IN TOTAL, 1,818 GORILLA FECAL SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED AND TESTED FOR PARASITES, PATHOGENS, AND OTHER RESPIRATORY DISEASES INCLUDING COVID-19, WERE 1,664 SAMPLES WERE PRESERVED AND TESTED FOR SARS-COV-2 WHICH CAUSES COVID-19. WITH SUPPORT FROM MILKYWIRE, 119 HUMAN AND GORILLA CONFLICT RESOLUTION TEAMS (HUGOS) OF GORILLA GUARDIANS WERE TRAINED TO SAFELY HERD GORILLAS AND OTHER WILDLIFE BACK TO THE PARK WHEN RANGING IN COMMUNITY LAND. THEY WERE ALSO TRAINED IN THE PREVENTION OF COVID-19 AMONG PEOPLE AND FROM PEOPLE TO GORILLAS AND IN NON-INVASIVE GORILLA FECAL SAMPLE COLLECTION. WITH SUPPORT FROM THE DARWIN INITIATIVE THROUGH THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER, CTPH TRAINED 152 RANGER GUIDES ACROSS FIVE SECTORS OF BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK ON INFECTIOUS DISEASE AND THE CAPACITY TO ENFORCE GORILLA TRACKING STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES AND OTHER REGULATIONS.

COMMUNITY HEALTH AND CONSERVATION THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH UWA AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM WILDLIFE CONSERVATION NETWORK, A TOTAL NUMBER OF 81 OROPHARYNGEAL AND NASOPHARYNGEAL SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED FROM 81 HUGOS/GORILLA GUARDIANS AND TESTED FOR COVID-19 AT UGANDA VIRUS RESEARCH INSTITUTE (UVRI). CTPH STAFF WERE ALSO REGULARLY TESTED FOR COVID-19 TO ENSURE SAFETY AND REDUCE COVID-19-RELATED THREATS TO THE GORILLAS WITH SUPPORT FROM IUCN SOS/EU, CTPH TOGETHER WITH OTHER IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS INCLUDING UGANDA WILDLIFE AUTHORITY AND THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CONDUCTED A REFRESHER TRAINING FOR 270 VILLAGE HEALTH AND CONSERVATION TEAMS (VHCTS) FROM 6 FRONTLINE PARISHES AROUND BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK ON UPDATED MINISTRY OF HEALTH COVID-19 MODULES AND HOW TO CONTROL THE SPREAD OF COVID-19 AMONG PEOPLE AND FROM PEOPLE TO MOUNTAIN GORILLAS. WITH ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FROM POPULATION CONNECTION, VHCTS ALSO RECEIVED A REFRESHER TRAINING ON FAMILY PLANNING AND HOW TO COLLECT DATA ON KEY CONSERVATION INDICATORS INCLUDING RECORDING THE NUMBER OF TREES PLANTED BY HOUSEHOLDS. WITH ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FROM ST. ANDREWS PRIZE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, CTPH CONDUCTED TRAINING FOR 60 VHCTS AROUND MOUNT TSHIABIRIMU AND MIKENO SECTORS OF VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK AND 50 ECO-GUARDS AT MAIKO NATIONAL PARK IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (DRC) TO DISSEMINATE INFORMATION IN THEIR VILLAGES ON GOOD HEALTH AND HYGIENE PRACTICES AND ABOUT PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS - COVID-19 AND HOW TO REDUCE RISKS OF COVID-19 TRANSMISSION AND OTHER ZOONOTIC RESPIRATORY DISEASES AMONG HUMANS AND BETWEEN PEOPLE AND WILDLIFE PARTICULARLY FROM PEOPLE TO GORILLAS. ALL VHCTS AND ECO-GUARDS WERE GIVEN PROTECTIVE CLOTH FACE MASKS TO REDUCE THE RISK OF COVID-19 TRANSMISSION. A SESSION ON METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION AND HOW TO COLLECT GOOD QUALITY DATA WAS CONDUCTED TO IMPROVE DATA QUALITY AND REPORTING. WITH SUPPORT FROM BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION, 552 REFORMED POACHERS OF WHICH 80% (440) WERE MALES AND 20% (112) WERE FEMALES FROM 6 REFORMED POACHERS' ASSOCIATIONS IN KISORO AND KANUNGU DISTRICTS AROUND BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK WERE TRAINED ON HOW TO PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM COVID-19, PREVENT CROSS-TRANSMISSION OF INFECTION BETWEEN PEOPLE AND GORILLAS AND OTHER WILDLIFE, SKILLS, AND KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF INCOME GENERATION WITH A FOCUS ON SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE WHICH IN TURN ADDRESSES IMMEDIATE AND LONGER-TERM NUTRITIONAL NEEDS AND HOW TO LIVE IN HARMONY WITH WILDLIFE INCLUDING UNDERSTANDING THE DANGERS OF POACHING. WITH FUNDING FROM WILDLIFE CONSERVATION NETWORK (WCN) AND INDIVIDUAL DONORS, CTPH TRAINED AND EQUIPPED 59 VILLAGE COVID-19 TASK FORCE COMMITTEES (VCTFS) IN 59 VILLAGES WITHIN 8 FRONTLINE PARISHES AROUND BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK. THEY RECEIVED 50 PULSE OXIMETERS AND 50 INFRARED THERMOMETERS AS WELL AS PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE) INCLUDING PROTECTIVE FACE MASKS, GLOVES, AND HAND SANITIZERS. THESE COMMITTEES INCLUDE REPRESENTATIVES FROM VILLAGE HEALTH AND CONSERVATION TEAMS (VHCTS), LOCAL COUNCIL 1 (VILLAGE CHIEF), UGANDA WILDLIFE AUTHORITY (UWA), THE PORTER'S ASSOCIATION, TEACHERS, RELIGIOUS LEADERS, AND WOMEN'S GROUPS. VCTF COMMITTEE MEMBERS WERE TRAINED ON THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH HOME-BASED CARE GUIDELINES TO PREVENT MILD CASES FROM BECOMING SEVERE CASES THAT WERE MORE INFECTIOUS AND REQUIRE HOSPITALIZATION, CONTACT TRACING, AND HOW TO BE THE LINK BETWEEN PATIENTS AND HEALTH CENTERS OR HOSPITALS, WHICH HELPED TO PREVENT AND REDUCE COVID-19 TRANSMISSION IN COMMUNITIES WITH HIGH HUMAN AND GORILLA CONFLICT.

ALTERNATIVE LIVELIHOODS WITH SUPPORT FROM PLANET WOMEN, TWO RAPID NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOR SUPPORTING WOMEN'S LIVELIHOODS AND OTHER WELL-BEING CONCERNS WAS CONDUCTED, AFTER WHICH115 WOMEN VHCTS AND 130 WOMEN COFFEE FARMERS WERE TRAINED TO ACQUIRE SKILLS IN COMMERCIAL AGRICULTURE, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, AND A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN HEALTH (INCLUDING PREVENTION OF THE SPREAD OF COVID-19 AMONG PEOPLE AND FROM PEOPLE TO MOUNTAIN GORILLAS), AND THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN CONSERVATION. WITH SUPPORT FROM WILDLIFE CONSERVATION NETWORK, CTPH SCALED UP THE READY TO GROW PROJECT TO MEET THE URGENT NUTRITIONAL NEEDS OF MOST-AT-RISK COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHILST SUPPORTING LONGER-TERM ALTERNATIVE LIVELIHOODS, 500 ADDITIONAL MOST VULNERABLE/AT-RISK HOUSEHOLDS IN THE NORTHERN SECTOR OF BWINDI IN KANUNGU DISTRICT WERE THE SECOND BATCH OF BENEFICIARIES WHO RECEIVED "READY TO GROW" SEEDLING PACKAGES COMPRISING 10 LOW MAINTENANCE FOOD CROPS INCLUDING TOMATOES, ONIONS, CABBAGES, KALE, SPINACH, BEANS, GROUNDNUTS, MAIZE, PUMPKINS, AND AMARANTHUS. THIS INCREASED THE NUMBER OF BENEFICIARIES TO 25% OF THE 6000 VULNERABLE HOUSEHOLDS AROUND BWINDI THAT HAVE BENEFITED FROM THE PROJECT. THESE INCLUDED FAMILIES OF REFORMED POACHERS, PORTERS, THE BATWA, GORILLA GUARDIANS, AND VHCTS AMONG OTHER COMMUNITY MEMBERS.