On July 14, 1960, a young British woman arrived for the first time on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania. Unaware of what lay ahead, she would soon change the world forever.
At just 26 years old, Jane Goodall was given the opportunity of a lifetime when palaeontologist and anthropologist Dr. Louis Leakey asked her to observe and better understand our closest living relatives: wild chimpanzees. Jane’s groundbreaking discoveries led to astonishing insights into the behavior of chimpanzees and humans.
The famous chimpanzees of Gombe, to whom we owe so many scientific findings, are now at risk. Please help us continue Jane Goodall’s life’s work by protecting the chimpanzees’ habitat—and thereby their very survival.
On July 14, 2025, we mark a major milestone: exactly 65 years ago, Jane Goodall arrived in Gombe, Tanzania, to begin her studies of wild chimpanzees.
Each day, she spent hours trekking through the forest observing the chimpanzees. Each evening, she returned to her tent to write down the data in her field notes.
Over the past 65 years, Jane Goodall, the Jane Goodall Institute, and research partners have built and maintained the longest-running study of wild chimpanzees in the world. In 2018, this work was recognized with a Guinness World Record.
Thanks to her work in Gombe, Dr. Goodall, the Jane Goodall Institute, and her collaborators have not only deepened our understanding of chimpanzees and inspired generations of scientists, but also highlighted the urgent need to protect our closest relatives from extinction. This work has redefined the term species conservation—placing people at its center, especially local communities who are empowered to actively and sustainably protect their environment.
As a pioneering scientist, Jane Goodall’s discoveries in Gombe have inspired generations of researchers around the world. She broke down scientific barriers and opened new paths—far beyond the boundaries of science.
The story of the young British woman sparked global enthusiasm—not only advancing scientific knowledge but also contributing to a rise in the number of women in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), as well as in conservation, animal behavior, and environmental protection. Through her example and role as a mentor, Jane has paved the way for greater female participation in science for decades.
This vital center has trained generations of scientists, including many Tanzanians and international researchers. Though Gombe is one of the smallest national parks in Tanzania, its remarkable biodiversity and wealth of scientific insights have attracted hundreds of researchers. Their findings have had far-reaching impacts on numerous publications and research fields.
One of these outstanding scientists is Dr. Lilian Pintea. Together with a dedicated team of researchers, students, and partners, he collects, archives, and digitizes the comprehensive long-term data from Gombe. This includes the so-called B Record—a continuous, daily behavioral log of the chimpanzees initiated by Dr. Goodall and still maintained by JGI today. This exceptional database allows for the analysis of behavioral patterns and deeper understanding of long-term developments in chimpanzee communities.
From 1960 to the present day, Gombe has contributed more than 300 scientific findings—ranging from chimpanzee social structures to the health of people and the environment. 59 doctoral theses have been completed based on research in Gombe. More than 250 researchers have conducted fieldwork there.
Since Jane’s early days—when all she had was a simple pair of binoculars, a notebook, and a typewriter—scientific and technological advancements have enabled the Jane Goodall Institute to answer important questions about chimpanzee behavior, ecology, and health in ways that were once unimaginable.
While many of the methods perfected by Jane and her students—such as tracking individual chimpanzees and recording their behaviors—are still used today, new technologies such as genetics, satellite imagery, GIS, and mobile tools have enhanced accessibility, enabled near real-time updates, and provided insights on both molecular and landscape levels.
A central element of chimpanzee research in Gombe is the focus on individual chimpanzees, following their life histories and those of their families and communities over time and under changing circumstances. This method, developed by Dr. Goodall, continues to be used at the Gombe Stream Research Center under the direction of Dr. Deus C. Mjungu. It enables the research team to record the daily observations of individual chimpanzees.
With the help of modern technologies such as genetic analysis, families like the "G", "F", and others can be tracked across generations—offering deep insights into social structures, maternal and paternal roles, and the success of individuals and groups.
Chimpanzees live in clearly defined territorial social groups called “communities.” In Gombe, there are three: Mitumba, Kasekela, and Kalande. The Mitumba and Kasekela groups are accustomed to the presence of researchers, allowing their movements and behaviors to be documented daily as part of the so-called “B Record."
Based on these long-term observation data, scientists have been able to map the home ranges and core areas of the groups. These maps reveal how environmental changes—particularly deforestation and the expansion of human settlements—affect different chimpanzee communities in diverse ways.
While the Kasekela group, whose range lies entirely within the protected area, has been relatively unaffected, the Mitumba and Kalande groups have faced increasing pressure—caught between the stronger Kasekela community and the boundaries of the national park. Historically, both groups used areas outside the park, but these have largely been destroyed by the spread of oil palm plantations, agriculture, and settlement.
Thanks to continuous data analysis, targeted conservation measures have been implemented. The Jane Goodall Institute launched reforestation efforts and worked to preserve community forests within the historic chimpanzee range. This led to the development of the first Action Plan for the Greater Gombe Ecosystem—a milestone that has already enabled the regeneration of key forest areas through the involvement of local communities.