Author: Pamela Huber

At JGI, we know that conservation efforts are only effective when people living around key conservation areas have secure means to sustainable livelihoods. If people do not have access to sustainable means of income, then they turn to their only resource: illegal activities in the forest such as logging, mining and poaching. There are strong ties between protecting forest resources and ensuring sustainable livelihoods, which is why JGI is happy to see its efforts align with the UN’s Goal 8: promoting sustainable economic growth and decent work for all. JGI funds many different programs that improve sustainable livelihoods across central…

On September 21, Dr. Jane Goodall spoke before a hushed room at the United Nations in honor of the annual International Day of Peace. In her speech, Dr. Goodall, a UN Messenger for Peace for the past 13 years, spoke on the environment’s role in making every day an international day of peace: “Until there is peace between humans and the environment, there cannot be world peace. It is impossible. When you run out of food and water, the wars begin again.” The sentiment was appropriate, given the UN’s agenda for the week: from September 25-27, at the 2015 United…

Goal 15 of the UN SDGs is to sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss. These have been goals at JGI ever since the fateful conference Dr. Jane Goodall attended in 1986 where she learned that chimpanzees, great apes and many other vital species in African rainforests would be lost in only a few generations if we did not begin to halt deforestation and land degradation. As keystone species, chimpanzees and great apes serve vital roles in maintaining the balance of forest ecosystems. By protecting apes, JGI protect forests indirectly, and by conserving ape habitat,…

Given that JGI’s founder, Dr. Jane Goodall, is a pioneering woman in her field and an inspirational role model to girls all around the world, it’s a no-brainer to include the promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women in our mission and programming. Our efforts fall perfectly in line with Goal 5 of the UN SDGs, to achieve gender equality while empowering all women and girls. JGI not only promotes gender equality in its own workplace, but encourages the community-centered programs that we support to strive for gender equality in their management. For example, in the 52 Tanzanian villages…

Starting today, individuals around the globe, can find Dan Piraro’s “Devolution” appearing on T-shirts for sale through a time-limited campaign. Proceeds from the sale of these T-shirts will benefit Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots. Syndicated cartoonist Dan Piraro and his artist assistant and colorist Christy Higgans are two individuals who embrace the Roots & Shoots mission that every individual can make a major impact on the world. These two impact the world constantly, with Piraro’s “Bizarro” single panel comics appearing in national newspapers every day of the year. One cartoon has recently gone viral, attracting the attention of millions: an…

Chembo has a new, safe home now. Chembo knows what it is to feel trapped. The chimpanzee lived alone for six years in a cramped cage as a “pet” in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Unable to climb or walk, incapable of socializing or playing, Chembo’s legs atrophied over the years, wasting away her natural strength. But thanks to the tireless efforts of seven different organizations working together, Chembo can now grow strong again at the Lwiro Primate Rehabilitation Center (CRPL) in DRC. Chembo’s rescue began when an American man spotted a Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) vehicle passing him.…

In this webinar, the Jane Goodall Institute’s Vice President of Conservation Science, Dr. Lilian Pintea, discusses his decade of experience at Gombe Stream National Park and in Tanzania. Dr. Pintea, who specializes in using mapping tools and satellite imagery to track changes in chimpanzee habitat, speaks with JGI’s Shawn Sweeney in this Q&A on Dr. Pintea’s experience, the development of science technology at Gombe and the connection between behavioral data, habitat data and conservation efforts. So Lilian, just getting started, we want to know more about your background with Gombe, and when you were doing your graduate studies, why you…

In 1960, anthropologist Louis Leakey sent Dr. Jane Goodall, a 26 year old native of England with no college degree or scientific experience, to Africa with a mission: learn everything she could about wild chimpanzees. Leakey hoped that information on chimpanzees would shed light on human’s evolutionary past. But for Dr. Goodall, studying the chimpanzees just to learn more about them was reward enough. She established the Gombe Stream Research Center to aid her in the task, and 55 years after stepping onto the shore of Lake Tanganyika in modern-day Tanzania, Dr. Goodall’s study is still carried out by the…

In 1960, anthropologist Louis Leakey sent Jane Goodall, a 26 year old native of England with no college degree or scientific experience, to Africa with a mission: learn everything she could about wild chimpanzees. Leakey hoped that information on chimpanzees would shed light on human’s evolutionary past. But for Goodall, studying the chimpanzees just to learn more about them was reward enough. She established the Gombe Stream Research Center to aid her in the task, and 55 years after stepping onto the shore of Lake Tanganyika in modern-day Tanzania, Goodall’s study is still carried out by the Jane Goodall Institute.…

A glossy white billboard soars above young children’s heads bearing larger-than-life images of a chimpanzee and a gorilla under the declaration Protect the Chimpanzees and Gorillas: The Congo’s Heritage for Future Generations. Connecting the images of the two apes, with their matching brilliant black coats of fur and proud gazes off into the distance, is a small flag of the Republic of Congo. The billboard, one of over 60 in the Congo designed by the Jane Goodall Institute, is meant to inspire local and national pride in the Congo’s great ape populations, in order to encourage locals to protect their…