By Suzanne York
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in southwestern Uganda is aptly named — the forest is thick as far as the eye can see, and the terrain mountainous. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the park serves as a biodiversity hotspot. The Uganda Wildlife Authority lists 350 species of birds, 310 butterflies, 200 trees, 51 reptiles, and 120 mammals. The forest’s thick cover gives refuge to nearly half of the world’s 880 remaining mountain gorillas.
But even though “impenetrable,” the Bwindi park bears heavy marks of human activity. Forests are cut down for farming and firewood, especially charcoal. Animals are hunted for food, some poached for profit. Wildlife and human conflicts bring disease transmission between people and gorillas. Much of this activity is driven by poverty, by people simply trying to care for their families.
Poverty also drives the high rates of deforestation in Uganda. More than 6,000 hectares of forest are lost every month. At this rate, in less than 25 years, Uganda’s forest cover will be gone.
While Uganda’s deforestation is fueled by poverty, its poverty is fueled by overpopulation. Uganda is a country about the size of Oregon. However, while about 4 million people call Oregon home, more than nine times that many (37 million) now live in Uganda. This number is expected to rise to 100 million by 2050.
Uganda’s population is growing faster than Ugandans themselves want. Unintended pregnancy is common. According to the Guttmacher Institute, Ugandan women give birth, on average, to nearly two children more than they want (6.2 vs. 4.5) — one of the highest levels of excess fertility in Sub-Saharan Africa. Given population projections, it is urgent to address the problem of unwanted pregnancies in Uganda.
Perhaps no organization in Uganda demonstrates the ability to overcome the pressing challenges facing the country better than Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH). Using an integrated population, health, and environment (PHE) approach, the group empowers local communities and protects the flora and fauna of Bwindi, especially the mountain gorillas.
Alex Ngabirano has worked for CTPH the past ten years, and his drive and determination has changed lives in the Bwindi communities. Using a visual aid, he gives presentations on the links between conservation and health that enable people to understand the value of family planning. Educating both men and women is critical; thanks to CTPH’s efforts, today a majority of men in the area support family planning.
CTPH has set up Village Health and Conservation Teams to meet the needs of the communities and raise awareness with them on the importance of protecting the environment. One team volunteer, Feredasi Nganwa, is a warm and generous woman who provides contraceptive services in her village. She clearly takes pride in her work and will go to people's’ homes, or they come to her, where they can receive birth control pills, condoms, or injectable contraceptives. Depo Provera shots, which last for three months, are the most popular form of contraceptive. There is also a mobile clinic that CTPH uses to reach the most marginalized community members.
As a small country with big challenges, Uganda desperately needs the help of groups like CTPH to make the links between population, health and environment. Until people’s basic needs are met, they will do what they have to in order to survive. Conservation is an afterthought, if it's thought of at all. CTPH is striving to change this narrative and empower local communities with the tools and knowledge to develop and care for nature. CTPH certainly lives up to its slogan, “Saving Africa’s wildlife by improving the health of people."
What does this mean for those of us who live in the U.S., and in particular the San Francisco Bay Area? Why should we care about the connections among population, health and environment (PHE)?
The PHE approach — connecting population, health and environment — applies to the United States as much as it does Uganda.
Our national environmental regulations are being rolled back to the detriment of not only nature, but also human health. Clean water? Clean air? Not important to this administration. And federal efforts are also targeting reproductive rights and health. Recently, the Trump Administration cut grants to more than 80 teen pregnancy prevention programs.
Meanwhile, women who want to reproduce face new risks. Dramatic increases in exposure to toxic chemicals in the last four decades are threatening human reproduction and health, warns the the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO). In the U.S. alone, more than 30,000 pounds of chemicals per person are manufactured or imported, reports FIGO, and yet the vast majority of these chemicals have not been tested. Women — especially mothers and expectant mothers — as well as children are at greatest risk.
We are reaching a time when it makes no sense to talk about population, health, or environment apart from their connection to one another.
To learn more about PHE, come to the SF Bay Chapter’s Population, Health and Environment Committee’s event, “The Connection Between Conservation, Health & Development” on September 27:
DATE: Wednesday, September 27th
TIME: 7 pm
LOCATION: Sierra Club SF Bay Chapter office, 2530 San Pablo Avenue, Suite I, Berkeley
COST: Free! (refreshments provided)
For more information, please email info@transition-earth.org.
Suzanne York is co-chair of the Bay Chapter’s Population, Health and Environment Committee.