There is a surprising relationship between chimpanzee/forest conservation and epidemiological interventions on waterborne illnesses that I have discovered in the past 15 years of my research. I first uncovered a strong correlation between human quality of life and the population density of chimpanzees in Uganda in 2008. This led me to focus on improving human health by focusing on creating water hygiene programs that could be used cross-culturally through enacting behavior change and improving self-reliance. This approach was successfully used in Nicaragua and Ghana from 2015-2020. Since 2021, I have worked with Friends of Chimps in the same areas I first conducted my research in 2008, where we have demonstrated that wildlife and forest conservation and restoration programs can only be successful if they also address the wellbeing of the human community. These programs are vital to environmental and wildlife sustainability, especially with increasing pressures of climate change and human population growth.

Sarah Etheridge, PhD, has worked in primate conservation since 2008, including with chimpanzees in Uganda and orangutans and gibbons in Borneo. She has conducted research on the interconnection of human health and wild chimpanzee populations. She is associate professor of Anthropology at College of the Canyons and a lecturer at California State University, Northridge, and is also the Vice President of Friends of Chimps.