1. Gombe Celebrates 55 Years of Research
On 14 July we celebrated the 55th anniversary of Dr. Jane Goodall’s arrival at what is now known as Gombe Stream National Park. Gombe is the place where Jane launched her pioneering research with wild chimpanzees. She was the first scientist to discover tool use in nonhuman species of primates. A discovery so important that famed anthropologist Louis Leakey once said to Jane that, “Now we must redefine tool, redefine Man, or accept chimpanzees as humans.”
Jane’s research has continued to this day, including complete life histories of many of Gombe’s chimpanzees, research on mother infant bonds, hunting and many more amazing chimpanzee behaviours. The 55th anniversary was marked with a global Thunderclap that reached an amazing 8,743,358 people worldwide. Thank you to everyone who signed up and shared the message of #Gombe55, your support was fantastic!
2. Threatened Species Summit a Success
On 16 July, CEO Nancy Moloney, JGIA Director Simon Duffy and JGI Global Director Polly Cevallos attended the Threatened Species Summit in Melbourne. Attended by delegates from across Australia and hosted by the Hon Greg Hunt MP and Gregory Andrews, Threatened Species Commissioner, the summit provided a synopsis of the actions that the Federal and State Governments will undertake by 2020 including:
- Tackling feral cats and their impacts
- Prioritising 20 mammals, 20 birds and 30 plants for action
- Improving recovery practices
Dr Jane Goodall gave the opening video address, which put JGIA firmly on the map, and also allowed all those present to understand the breadth of our global conservation and educational work. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet our peers in the conservation space and with almost 1,800 national listed threated species, it is critical to have a new national approach. Learn more here.
3. JGIA to Represent Chimpanzees in My Green World App
JGIA has partnered with My Green World to launch a mobile app called World of the Wild. The app is a platform for the public to connect with charitable initiatives 
such as JGIA and engage in educational content, while participating in fun gameplay. JGIA will be represented by a chimpanzee named Gombe in the app and in
playing the game, you can help little Gombe out by feeding and caring for her, and in turn support JGIA!
Watch for the launch of the app here and contribute to the crowd funding campaign to raise funds and awareness via www.pozible.com/project/196618.
4. Roots & Shoots WA Joins the Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative
Our Western Australian Roots & Shoots schools have been accepted as a member of the Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative (AuSSI)! AuSSI is a partnership of the Australian Government and the states and territories that seeks to support schools and their communities to become sustainable. The Initiative’s vision is for all Australian schools and their communities to be sustainable. More information on AuSSI is available here. Current schools in the WA R&S group include:
- Bletchley Park Primary School
- Blue Gum Montessori School
- John Curtin College of the Arts
- Lynwood Senior High School
- St Brigids College
- Tranby College
- Winthrop Primary School
As more schools join Roots & Shoots WA they will also be part of AuSSI. They will join schools like John Curtin College of the Arts, who have established a green house and worm farm and are raising seedlings native to the area which will eventually be planted around the school. Well done team WA!
5. JGIA’s Jane Kennedy Wins Zonta Award
A special congratulations to our very own Jane Kennedy who has been recognised for her social justice activities with the Zonta International Young Women in Public Affairs International Award. There are only 10 awards globally each year so we are very proud of Janey! She has been a Roots & Shoots member and leader for 12 years and has been heavily involved in the development and success of our program. Janey will invest her award money in to furthering her mission to improve the status of girls through education. Congratulations Jane!
6. JGIA Features in National Geographic Kids Australia and New Zealand
Make sure you watch for the second issue of National Geographic Kids which features JGIA on the back page!
Pick up your copy at a newsstand or subscribe here.
