Zinda fishing for termites in Gombe National Park, Tanzania

Highlights From Gombe 60 Symposium at the International Primatological Society (IPS) Congress

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By on Primates, Science & Technology

Quito, 9-15 January, 2022 

The Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) has an incredible legacy for science with an emphasis on long-term basic and applied research, specifically focusing on conservation action and results. In addition, recognized as the longest-running field research study on chimpanzees in the world, JGI’s Gombe Stream Research Center in Tanzania continues the work Dr. Jane Goodall began in 1960, providing an unparalleled perspective towards understanding chimpanzee and human evolution. Such research has the potential to not only unlock insights into many areas of our own evolution and relationships with nature, but also to positively impact chimpanzee and other species conservation and welfare, as our methods, knowledge, and tools are adopted and applied by a world of stakeholders. 

The Jane Goodall Institute is excited to share the proceedings from a symposium celebrating the profound effect that the pioneering work of Dr. Goodall has had on the field of primatology and ethology. The symposium was held on January 10th, 2022, and organized by the Gombe principal investigators Dr. Ian Gilby of Arizona State University, and Dr. Elizabeth Lonsdorf of Emory University as part of the International Primatological Society (IPS) Congress held in Ecuador.  

Watch below for the first series of presentations including welcome messages from Dr. Goodall, Dr. Gilby, and Dr. Lonsdorf, and the first of additional presentations by Dr. Anne Pusey, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor Emerita of Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University. In her talk, Dr. Pusey gives an overview of the evolution of chimpanzee research at Gombe, emphasizing the importance of longitudinal studies in primatology. She also highlights the ways in which new technology has enabled advancement in research on the topics that Dr. Goodall initially studied in the early years at Gombe. 

Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace giving opening remarks for the Gombe 60 Symposium at IPS 2022
Gombe principal investigators Dr. Ian Gilby of Arizona State University, and Dr. Elizabeth Lonsdorf of Emory University introduce the Gombe 60 Symposium as part of the International Primatological Society (IPS) Congress held in Ecuador.  
Dr. Anne Pusey, Distinguished Professor Emerita of Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University presenting on the living legacy of research at Gombe

More Presentations Forthcoming

Over the next few weeks, JGI will provide a series of episodes from the IPS Gombe 60 symposium featuring current work at Gombe and in other chimpanzee populations. Speakers will emphasize how the early work at Gombe provided a methodological and conceptual foundation for their own work. Symposium participants will highlight recent advances in areas such as tool use, predation, reproductive strategies, infant development, inter-group aggression and conservation. Stay tuned for more!  

Read more about Dr. Anne Pusey’s presentation here by selecting “speakers” on the left, and searching “Anne Pusey, PhD.”

Lilian Pintea brings thirty years of experience in applying satellite imagery and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to the job of conserving chimpanzees and their vanishing habitats in Africa. As Vice President of Conservation Science at the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI), Dr. Pintea and his team oversee science activities and functions at the Institute, supporting all programs and bringing targeted research, analysis, and technological innovation to support JGI’s mission. Lilian is passionate about unlocking the potential of science and innovative technologies to address the “last mile” challenges in conservation where local people make daily choices and decisions impacting the environment. He works closely with local communities, village, national governments, academia, other NGOs, and JGI staff in Africa to adopt and build capacity to integrate science and technologies with the local solutions and decision-making processes and tackle some of the hardest challenges in conservation, natural resource management, and climate change. Recognized as a pioneer in applying innovative geospatial technologies to conservation, Dr. Pintea has presented invited talks to numerous conferences. Dr. Pintea holds a Ph.D. in conservation biology from the University of Minnesota and a M.S. in zoology from Moscow State University, Russia. He is a former MacArthur Scholar of the MacArthur Interdisciplinary Program on Global Change, Sustainability, and Justice at the University of Minnesota, a former Fulbright Scholar at the Center for Remote Sensing at the University of Delaware, and a former UNESCO/Cousteau Fellow in Ecotechnie at the University of Bucharest, Romania. With frequent trips to the field in Sub-Saharan Africa, Dr. Pintea lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.

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