Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka

“You cannot separate the health of people from the health of gorillas and the environment we share.”

For the past 30 years, I have dedicated my life to protecting the endangered mountain gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and supporting other wildlife conservation efforts in Uganda and beyond.

I founded Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH) in 2003 with my husband Lawrence Zikusoka and veterinary technician Stephen Rubanga. CTPH became one of the first organisations in the world to implement a One Health approach to conservation — recognising that the health of people, animals, and the environment are deeply interconnected.

Over the past 25 years, the mountain gorilla population has nearly doubled, and their IUCN status improved from critically endangered to endangered in 2018. I envision a future where more children, communities, women, and youth lead conservation efforts at the local level.