Dr. Jane Goodall with chimpanzee Galahad at Gombe National Park, Tanzania. Photo: Michael Neugebauer. Courtesy of Jane Goodall Institute.

The Jane Goodall Institute

Founded in 1977, the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) continues Dr. Goodall’s pioneering research of chimpanzee behavior -- research that transformed scientific perceptions of the relationship between humans and animals. Today, the Institute is a global leader in the effort to protect chimpanzees and their habitats. It also is widely recognized for establishing innovative community-centered conservation and development programs in Africa, and the Roots & Shoots education program, which has groups in more than 95 countries.

The JGI's research at Gombe National Park, Tanzania, begun by Jane Goodall in 1960, currently focuses on aggression and territoriality, the relationship between mothers and infants, and chimpanzee culture. JGI’s ChimpanZoo program conducts research on captive chimpanzees and helps zoos design optimal environments for chimpanzees. JGI’s The Center for Primate Studies, based at the University of Minnesota, houses and analyzes virtually all field notes, video and other artifacts of scientific activity at the Gombe Stream Research Centre.

The JGI's conservation efforts extend to both chimpanzee and human communities. In Uganda and the Republic of Congo, JGI chimpanzee sanctuaries provide safe and loving habitats for nearly 160 orphan chimpanzees who are virtually all victims of the illegal commercial bushmeat trade. The JGI's TACARE community-centered conservation programs preserve and restore the environment while giving hope to thousands of families through initiatives that improve health care, promote economic development and support sustainable livelihoods. In 2004, JGI expanded the TACARE model to underserved areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo, working with Conservation International and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International.

The Greater Gombe Ecosystem Program launched in 2005 is an outgrowth of TACARE’s success. In this ambitious undertaking, JGI and partners use sophisticated Geographic Information System and satellite imagery mapping to plan land use with local communities, including earmarking deforested areas for regeneration.