FSML: Improving collaborative research infrastructure at Gombe National Park, Tanzania

The Jane Goodall Institute, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

The Gombe Stream Research Centre (GSRC) was established in Tanzania by Dr. Jane Goodall in 1965 to support and maintain her pioneering study of chimpanzees, initiated in 1960. Now in its 56th year, the Gombe chimpanzee study is one of the longest and most detailed continuous studies of any free-living species. GSRC is a core project of the Jane Goodall Institute, one of the most well-known research and conservation organizations in the world. Research at GSRC has revealed the complex social behavior and cognitive abilities of chimpanzees including tool-making and use, group-hunting, cooperation in inter-group competition and enduring family bonds and social relationships, all of which have relevance to the understanding of human evolution. In addition, GSRC research informs community-centered conservation programs near Gombe and across Africa. Given the unparalleled depth of behavioral data, there has been growing interest from scientists in diverse fields in conducting broad, inter-disciplinary research at Gombe, to increase understanding of diet, physiology, health and disease. However, the GSRC infrastructure has been built piecemeal over the years and cannot support modern research or large trans-disciplinary teams. This project will extend and update the facilities by providing reliable power and renovating existing structures to provide state-of-the-art laboratory facilities for visiting scientists. Improvement of the facilities will improve current and future visiting researchers' efficiency in all their research projects, and will enable the training of Tanzanian scientists and veterinarians through hands-on experience with indigenous species. A better power supply and improved internet connectivity will facilitate more immediate communication of scientific data and events at Gombe to collaborators and students overseas, as well as in local classrooms. A new library and museum space with power sources capable of supporting video displays will greatly improve the educational experiences of visiting students, school groups, and tourists. The provision of modern lab facilities at this iconic site will enable transformative research through coupling the exceptionally deep knowledge of the primates and the habitat with new techniques to detect and measure disease agents and disease progression in situ, endocrine levels, characteristics of bone, and nutritional and isotopic characteristics of dietary items. Improved power and communication will support all ongoing research projects and allow for greater synergy between them. The expansion and renovation will feature 1) reliable electrical power through new solar and backup generator systems, 2) wet laboratory space equipped with freezers for sample storage and basic equipment for genetic, endocrine, and nutritional analysis, 3) dry storage and work space for an herbarium and for the uniquely extensive skeletal collections of individual chimpanzees and baboons of known developmental and life histories, 4) a necropsy lab, 5) a space for meetings, and 6) a small museum. Information on the core research projects conducted at Gombe can be found at www.gombechimpanzees.org.