Chimpanzee Socioecology

The Jane Goodall Institute's (JGI) conservation science team uses state-of-the-art GIS and remote-sensing technologies to enhance research at JGI’s Gombe Stream Research Center in Tanzania. The nature of the relationship between ecological and social factors is central to understanding the evolution of primates' social structures and our hominid ancestors. By providing advanced quantitative analysis of social and ecological factors in a way that considers time and space, JGI is improving our understanding of the evolution of chimpanzee social organization and habitat use.

JGI is working closely with researchers from Duke University, University of Minnesota and other organizations to map the dynamics of vegetation in Gombe National Park using 30-m Landsat and 60-cm QuickBird imagery. The data is then integrated into chimpanzee behavior models enabling new views of chimpanzee behavior and their habitat needs in Gombe and beyond.

This work is integral to the following JGI programs in Africa:

• Gombe Stream Research Center
• Tanzania Conservation Action Plan

• http://primate-society.com/ips/public/ips_program/IPS10-123.pdf
• http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.ppat.1001116
• http://umn.academia.edu/MichaelWilson/Papers/603724/The_Contribution_of_Long-Term_Research_at_Gombe_National_Park_to_Chimpanzee_Conservation
• http://proceedings.esri.com/library/userconf/proc04/abstracts/a2153.html
• http://proceedings.esri.com/library/userconf/proc05/abstracts/a2541.html