Abstract
Disease is one of the key threats to gorillas along with high human population growth rates, habitat loss, and poaching of wild animals in their habitat. Though mountain gorillas were once critically endangered, a One Health approach has contributed to reversing the trend and increasing the number from 700 to just over 1000 in the past 17 years, leading to a downgrading of the IUCN status of this subspecies to endangered. Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH) founded in 2003, establish a One Health or integrated Population Health and Environment (PHE) approach that addresses human, animal, and ecosystem health together in order to reduce threats to wildlife and fragile ecosystems. CTPH established integrated programs that improve wildlife health, conservation attitudes and practice, community health, and alternative livelihoods. This includes regular gorilla health monitoring and comparative pathogen analysis and support to community volunteers including Village Health and Conservation Teams (VHCTs) and Human and Gorilla Conflict resolution (HUGO) teams; as well as, providing premium prices for good coffee from farmers bordering Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This One Health approach to gorilla conservation has contributed to reduced disease incidences in the gorillas, increased adoption of family planning methods, improved hygiene and attitudes toward conservation, and reduced conflict between people and gorillas. CTPH has built upon this award winning model that addresses 10 out of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on gorilla conservation.
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Kalema-Zikusoka, G., Ngabirano, A., Rubanga, S. (2021). Gorilla Conservation and One Health. In: Underkoffler, S.C., Adams, H.R. (eds) Wildlife Biodiversity Conservation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64682-0_13
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