Dr. Goodall’s research demonstrating that non-human animals are sentient, complex, intelligent, compassionate, and have innate value transformed human understanding of our relationship with the natural world. It also increased reverence and respect for the other beings with whom we share our planet. Through decades of advocacy on behalf of chimpanzees, worldwide wildlife, and animals in captive facilities, Dr. Goodall and JGI have fundamentally improved life for innumerable species. By supporting best-in-class care and practices for appropriate captive welfare in our model sanctuaries like Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center, by expanding and growing advocacy and partnerships to protect non-human animals, and by developing campaigns to improve public awareness and human behavior, JGI is delivering on a world that recognizes our place…
Author: Ashley Sullivan
Ashley Sullivan is the Director of Storytelling & Marketing for Communications & Partnerships at the Jane Goodall Institute USA, where she works to connect individuals with Dr. Jane Goodall's vision, and the JGI mission to create a better world for all by protecting the interconnections between people, other animals, and the environment. Ashley graduated Stony Brook University with a Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology and a minor in Biology, and is pursuing a Master's of Science in Environmental Science & Policy at Johns Hopkins University with a focus on Environmental Justice. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, now a D.C. resident, she has a varied background including 10+ years of expert communications and digital marketing in the social and environmental non-profit sector. Her intersectional approach to this work has been shaped by a holistic world-view, having traveled to Madagascar and Ecuador for conservation research projects, leading communications for youth social justice filmmaking organizations, and as a part of several professional groups advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in environmental spaces including Greens REALIGN. With skills ranging from conservation fieldwork, policy and advocacy campaigns, strategic communications, art, digital media, and design, Ashley believes in sharing information to empower and in the magic of storytelling to transform hearts and minds. Through growing understanding, empathy, and justice, she is igniting positive change to create that better, more equitable world, every day.
JGI’s Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center in the Republic of Congo has been rescuing captive chimpanzees for nearly 30 years. While the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated some adjustments, that did not stop the mission. To celebrate the brave work of Tchimpounga’s staff, here are just a handful of success stories from 2020! Perrine Just before 2020 began, Perrine was found in the remote village of Enyelle in northern Republic of the Congo, stolen for the illegal wildlife trade. Dr. Rebeca Atencia, executive director of JGI RoC, flew from Spain to Republic of the Congo to save the infant’s life. At two years old, Perrine was…
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Over 60 years ago, Jane Goodall advanced science through a unique combination of curiosity, focus on individuals as well as interconnections, observation, and collaboration. This style of holistic thinking and systems through science — a result of Jane’s compassionate and forward-thinking nature — has defined the Jane Goodall Institute’s programs from the very beginning. In 2020, the work to further define, structure, and scale science throughout the entire organization came to fruition. This is being achieved through ongoing efforts to introduce a JGI Science Strategy, which is developing a common vision and tools to support all JGI programs on every level. With this…
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Research activities, like other aspects of life, were not spared by the Covid-19 pandemic. In March 2020, Gombe Stream Research Center had to limit research in order to ensure the safety of staff and wildlife alike. Unfortunately, as the Gombe team was also dealing with a separate respiratory disease outbreak from earlier in 2020, some staff remained under strict protocol to monitor their recovery. In April, JGI conducted a series of meetings with park management and JGI Tanzania, continuously updating our Covid-19 guidelines. It was decided that long-term data collection protocols such as B-record follows would resume, but only with essential staff to continue prioritizing the health…
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In 2020, JGI completed one of its largest socio-economic baseline research studies to support its USAID-funded Landscape Conservation in Western Tanzania (LCWT) program. The study, which focused on the Gombe-Masito-Ugalla (GMU) landscape, investigated ways to protect habitats while supporting human communities. This work is a part of JGI’s Tacare approach. It all began when in the early 90s, Jane was in a small airplane flying over Gombe. When she looked down, she was shocked by what she saw. Hill after hill had been stripped of its dense blanket of trees; they were completely bare. The home of the precious chimpanzees was disappearing before…
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The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a biodiversity hotspot which contains an essential population of chimpanzees and critically endangered Grauer’s gorillas. JGI is the co-coordinator of the Eastern DRC Conservation Action Plan and has been driving collaborative action towards shared goals alongside participating NGOs, government officials, and community members for years. As part of the work to combat illegal wildlife trade, particularly great ape hunting, this group focuses on behavior change to better understand the drivers of this threat and potential alternatives. In 2020, research revealed that women are the primary sellers and traders of hunted wild fauna, that this work…
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Dr. Jane Goodall has always had a powerful connection to forests. Some of her most profound moments were spent alone in the forests of Gombe, Tanzania during her early studies of wild chimpanzees. She has often felt that the forest is her “cathedral,” and it is the peace of the forest that she carries with her as she spreads her message of hope. It is where it is easiest to see how every living thing on Earth has a role to play and is connected in this vast tapestry of life. Forests, it turns out, are also one of our…
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There are many reasons Dr. Goodall believes so strongly in the power of hope, but one of the most important may be that it’s a renewable resource!! Get ready for ROUND TWO of the most hope-filled podcast/experience/movement around – Season Two of the Jane Goodall Hopecast is coming this Fall 2021… We can’t wait to reveal our incredible guests, one-of-a-kind conversations, and even more ways to join our Hopecast community. To keep the spark of hope alive in the meantime, check out this brand-new trailer for Season Two featuring some of our favorite moments from Season One, reflections from Dr.…
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Dr. Jane Goodall has always wanted to share stories about the natural world. As a child, Jane’s dream was to go to Africa, live among wildlife, and write books about her observations. As a scientist, she showed that visual storytelling has the power to transform understanding of our relationship to other animals and the planet we share. After over 60 years of groundbreaking research and activism, JGI is taking Jane’s visual storytelling legacy and archive into the future. By partnering with MediaValet, a leader in Digital Asset Management (DAM), JGI is developing a one-of-a-kind way to store, organize, analyze, and…
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JGI’s community-driven approach has been at the forefront of understanding the needs of local communities to collaborate and empower ownership of conservation for 30 years. Dr. Lilian Pintea, vp of conservation science has been advancing this work through innovations in technology and science, as well as key partnerships with companies like Esri, providing frameworks and functional applications using data to give local communities the most efficient, practical way to drive conservation decisions and sustainable development. At the 2021 Esri Geodesign conference, Dr. Pintea shared more about the specific use cases of Geodesign in the application of Tacare, our community-led approach,…
