Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH) is one of the most influential conservation organizations working around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. CTPH pioneered an innovative approach that links wildlife conservation directly to human health and livelihoods, recognizing that protecting endangered gorillas depends on the well-being of the people who live beside them.
Today, CTPH stands as a global model for integrated conservation, where public health, community empowerment, and wildlife protection operate as one system.
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Background and Conservation Mission
CTPH was founded on the understanding that gorillas and humans share close genetic ties and are vulnerable to many of the same diseases. In areas like Bwindi, where communities live immediately adjacent to gorilla habitat, poor health, poverty, and lack of sanitation can directly threaten wildlife conservation.
The organization’s mission focuses on improving human health, strengthening livelihoods, and promoting conservation awareness as a unified strategy. By addressing the root causes of human–wildlife conflict and disease transmission, CTPH helps ensure long-term survival of mountain gorillas while improving quality of life for surrounding communities.
Where CTPH Works
CTPH operates primarily around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, with programs deeply embedded in local villages bordering these protected areas. Its work targets communities that historically depended on forest resources and now play a critical role in gorilla protection.
By working at the village level, CTPH ensures conservation solutions are locally owned and culturally appropriate.
Gorilla Health and Disease Prevention
One of CTPH’s most important contributions to gorilla conservation is its focus on disease prevention. Because gorillas share over 98% of their DNA with humans, illnesses can easily pass between species.
CTPH works closely with park authorities, health workers, and communities to reduce this risk through improved hygiene, sanitation, and disease surveillance. Community health education reduces the likelihood of people entering the forest while sick, protecting gorilla groups from potentially fatal outbreaks.
This preventive approach has become a cornerstone of modern gorilla conservation.
Community Health Programs
CTPH delivers practical health interventions that directly support conservation goals. These include reproductive health services, family planning education, maternal care, and sanitation improvement. Healthier families rely less on forest resources and are better able to support conservation initiatives.
Village Health and Conservation Teams act as bridges between communities and conservation authorities, spreading health information while reinforcing messages about gorilla protection and responsible resource use.
Livelihoods and Conservation Incentives
To reduce pressure on gorilla habitat, CTPH supports alternative livelihoods that replace forest dependence. These initiatives empower communities economically while reinforcing conservation values.
Income-generating projects supported by CTPH include sustainable agriculture, craft production, and tourism-linked enterprises. By improving household income, families gain stability and become active partners in protecting Bwindi’s forests rather than exploiting them.
Education and Behavior Change
Education plays a central role in CTPH’s long-term conservation strategy. The organization integrates conservation messaging into health outreach, school programs, and community engagement activities.
By helping people understand the link between their own health, environmental protection, and gorilla survival, CTPH fosters lasting behavior change. This approach builds a conservation ethic rooted in everyday life rather than enforcement alone.
Working With Tourism and Visitors
CTPH collaborates closely with responsible tourism operators, lodges, and visitors to strengthen conservation outcomes. Gorilla trekking revenues support community health initiatives, while tourists gain opportunities to engage with conservation projects through educational visits and guided experiences.
Visitors who learn about CTPH’s work often leave with a deeper understanding of how tourism directly supports gorilla survival beyond permit fees.
Conservation Impact and Global Recognition
CTPH’s integrated model has contributed significantly to the stability and growth of mountain gorilla populations in Uganda. By reducing disease risk, improving community welfare, and strengthening local stewardship, the organization has helped create a protective buffer around Bwindi’s fragile ecosystem.
Its work has gained international recognition and serves as a reference model for conservation programs worldwide, especially in regions where wildlife and people coexist closely.
Who Supports and Benefits From CTPH?
CTPH benefits both wildlife and people. Mountain gorillas gain improved protection from disease and habitat pressure, while communities gain access to healthcare, education, and sustainable livelihoods.
Support comes from government agencies, conservation partners, responsible tourism operators, and travelers who choose experiences that give back to conservation.
Planning a Visit or Supporting CTPH
Travelers visiting Bwindi can support CTPH by staying at community-focused lodges, participating in educational experiences, or making direct contributions to conservation and health programs. Many Bwindi itineraries can include community visits that highlight CTPH’s work on the ground.
For anyone seeking to understand how gorilla conservation truly works beyond the forest, CTPH offers one of the clearest and most impactful examples of conservation done right—where healthy people protect healthy gorillas, and both thrive together.