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The Founder and CEO, Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka is the recipient of the 2020 Aldo Leopold Award.

In a letter received by Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH), Prof. Douglas A. Kelt expressed his “distinct and substantial pleasure, as President of the American Society of Mammalogists (ASM), of writing to tell us that Dr Gladys is the recipient of the 2020 Aldo Leopold Award”.

This award was established by the American Society of Mammalogists in 2002 to recognize outstanding contributions to the conservation of mammals and their habitats. The inaugural winner of this award was E. O. Wilson of Harvard University in 2003 for his valuable contributions to mammalian conservation through his development and promotion of the concepts of biodiversity.

“The award honors the memory of a global leader in mammal conservation, the father of wildlife ecology, and an active member of the ASM and of our Conservation of Land Mammals Committee.  Recent recipients of this award include a veritable “who’s who” of global leaders in mammal conservation, including Russell Mittermeier, George Schaller, Rodrigo Medellin, Rubén Barquez, Dean Biggins, Larry Heaney, Andrew Smith, Marco FestaBianchet, Gerardo Ceballos, Steve Goodman, and most recently, Bernal Rodríguez Herrerra. Your efforts with the Uganda Wildlife Authority, in particular in managing wildlife translocations to repopulate national parks after the civil war, stand out for their impact on the preservation of wild populations as well as contributions to tourism – and all that tourism contributes to conservation – by restoring wildlife communities in multiple parks. Your continued work as a veterinarian, and in training young Ugandans for conservation, serve to broaden understanding and appreciation of wildlife, wildlife health, and their importance to conservation. Your subsequent work establishing Conservation Through Public Health NGO provides a model for effective integration of human and wildlife health with habitat conservation, providing for successful ecotourism and improved health and security for gorillas. The associated Gorilla Conservation Camp and Gorilla Conservation Coffee (and the Gorilla Conservation Café in Entebbe) provide venues for you and your team to broaden your efforts at education while working to improve the lives of local residents and promote a future where gorillas and people can share this region of the world” the letter reads in part.

“I am greatly humbled to receive this prestigious award, which has been received by truly inspiring conservationists some of whom have mentored me, including Russell MittermeierGeorge Schaller and Rodrigo Medellin” Dr Gladys noted upon receiving the good news.

Other winners
Dr Gladys joins Dr. Jennifer A. Guyton who received another ASM award – the Murie Family Conservation Award. The Murie Family Conservation Award, is awarded to a current undergraduate or graduate student, post-doctoral fellow, or early career researcher (within 5 years of their terminal degree) who has made a significant contribution to the conservation of mammals and their habitats.