
The Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) is a global non-profit wildlife and environment conservation organization headquartered in
Washington, DC
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...
. It was founded in 1977 by English
primatologist Jane Goodall
Dame Jane Morris Goodall (; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall; 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English zoologist, Primatology, primatologist and Anthropology, anthropologist. She is considered the world's foremo ...
and Genevieve di San Faustino (1919-2011).
The institute's mission is to improve the treatment and understanding of
primate
Primates is an order (biology), order of mammals, which is further divided into the Strepsirrhini, strepsirrhines, which include lemurs, galagos, and Lorisidae, lorisids; and the Haplorhini, haplorhines, which include Tarsiiformes, tarsiers a ...
s through public education and legal representation, to protect their
habitat
In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...
s in partnership with local communities, and to recruit and train young people for these missions.
History
Jane Goodall
Dame Jane Morris Goodall (; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall; 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English zoologist, Primatology, primatologist and Anthropology, anthropologist. She is considered the world's foremo ...
began her career in 1960 in
Gombe National Park,
Tanzania
Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...
. Her research on
chimpanzees
The chimpanzee (; ''Pan troglodytes''), also simply known as the chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forests and savannahs of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed one. When its close relative the ...
proved that they are close to humans not only genetically, but also in their behavior. At the beginning of her research, she was able to work in an untouched forest, but over the years, the local population cleared larger and larger areas of trees and destroyed animals. Jane Goodall realized that in order for the chimpanzees to survive, she had to protect their habitat, but for this, it was necessary that the living conditions of the local population were suitable and that they cooperated in nature conservation work, knowing the common goal. This led to the founding of the Jane Goodall Institute.
At first, the daily activities of the institute were carried out from home by committee members and volunteers. In the early 1980s, the institute moved into the
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
office of the California Academy of Sciences and later to
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
Offices and partnerships
The institute has offices in more than twenty-five countries around the world. With the recognition of a non-governmental organization by the city's municipal government, the
Shanghai
Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
office became the first and only foreign environmental protection organization in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
There is also a close partnership with the Jane Goodall Center for Excellence in Environmental Studies at the American
Western Connecticut State University
Western Connecticut State University (WCSU and WestConn) is a public university in Danbury, Connecticut. It was founded in 1903 as a teacher's college and is part of the Connecticut State University System.
WCSU consists of four schools: the A ...
in
Danbury in northern
Connecticut
Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
.
In
Congo, the institute has maintained the
Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center since 1999. It has 26 hectares of land at its disposal and a protected area of 72.84 km² was set up nearby by the government of Congo in March 1999. It is used to house orphaned chimpanzees.
Jane Goodall Environmental Middle School is a grades 6 through 8 school in
Salem,
Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
, with a focus on environmental protection.
Cetacean Committee
In 2022, the JGI's Cetacean Committee was formed. It calls for an immediate worldwide ban on cetacean captivity, with a search for "the best outcomes for those already confined."
On August 21, 2023,
Melody Horrill from the committee commented on the recent death of the orca
Tokitae (Lolita). Tokitae had spent half a century performing in a concrete tank for the
Miami Seaquarium
The Miami Seaquarium is a oceanarium located on the island of Virginia Key in Biscayne Bay, Miami-Dade County, Florida located near downtown Miami.
Founded in 1955, it is one of the oldest oceanariums in the United States. In addition to m ...
's previous owners, after being captured in the
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...
in 1970. Tokitae’s death came at a time when efforts were underway to move her to a sanctuary in her natal waters, but she died before she could have the opportunity to experience her natal waters again.
Horrill said:
Activities
Protecting Great Apes
JGI works to protect chimpanzees and other primates by supporting sanctuaries, law enforcement efforts to reduce illegal trafficking, and public education to protect endangered species in the wild. The
Chimp Eden Sanctuary in South Africa is one of the institute's sanctuaries. It is located in a forested reserve between Nelspruit and Barberton in
Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga () is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Nguni languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It shares bor ...
.
Improving gender and health outcomes
JGI achieves this through community-centered health projects, improvements to water supplies, and programs designed to keep girls in school.
Promoting sustainable livelihoods
JGI does this through improved agricultural practices, community-managed microcredit programs, and sustainable production techniques that increase incomes while protecting forests and watersheds.
Cookbook
In 2021, the institute published a cookbook titled ''The Jane Goodall Institute #EatMeatless''. The book's foreword was written by Goodall, a longtime vegetarian and now vegan. Vegan journalist
Avery Yale Kamila
Avery Yale Kamila is an American journalist/ food writer and community organizer in the state of Maine. Kamila is ranked by polling firm YouGov as one of The Most Popular Columnists in America,
Biography
Kamila was born in Westminster, Massach ...
included the cookbook on her list of 2021's best cookbooks. Food writer
Mark Bittman interviewed Jane Goodall about the book on his podcast.
Veganuary listed the book no. 1 on its list of Best Vegan Cookbooks.
See also
*
Jane Goodall Environmental Middle School
*
Roots & Shoots
*
Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Sanctuary
*
Gombe Stream National Park
Gombe National Park () is a national park in Tanzania, located in the Kigoma District of the Kigoma Region. It was formerly called Gombe Stream National Park.Tanzania National Parks“Gombe Stream National Park”, 2008.
Overview
Established in ...
*
Artipoppe
*
Chimp Eden
References
External links
Jane Goodall Institute
{{Authority control
Nature conservation organizations based in the United States
Primatology
Jane Goodall
Organizations established in 1977
Charities based in England