Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 22, 2015) – Fifty-five years ago, when Jane Goodall arrived on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, her communications technology was limited to some notebooks and a supply of pens and pencils.  Today, the work Dr. Goodall started continues at Gombe Stream Research Center, providing data for countless studies and as well as critical information about habitat health and land use. This work requires a sophisticated and reliable communications infrastructure.  As we celebrate this auspicious anniversary, the Jane Goodall Institute is pleased to announce a partnership with BringCom, a leading telecommunications services solutions provider offering fiber, satellite and microwave services to clients across Africa, the Caribbean, the Middle East and the United States.

The Jane Goodall Institute’s (JGI) work at Gombe now requires cutting-edge connectivity and communications support, from using community forest monitors to update geospatial imagery to ensuring the timely transmission of data to research partners at leading universities across the globe. Thanks to BringCom, JGI’s work at Gombe is now supported by strong, reliable and robust connectivity.

“For years, we have been very isolated from the outside world.” Dr. Goodall said, speaking from Gombe Stream Research Center.  “Now, all the world can be in touch with Gombe!”

“For BringCom, it is a pleasure and privilege to support the Jane Goodall Institution by providing reliable communications solutions in these remote and hard-to-reach research centers.”  said Fabrice Langreney, President and CEO of BringCom. “BringCom’s satellite services offering Internet access will contribute to the preservation of great apes and their habitats, a mission the organization first set fifty-five years ago at Gombe Stream Research Center.”

The importance of this connectivity goes far beyond basic communications.  BringCom’s satellite services enables JGI to share critical data about chimpanzees, baboons and other threatened species living in and around Gombe to researchers across the globe.  It also allows us to use cutting edge geospatial imagery to support effective land use planning in surrounding communities.

In addition to Gombe, BringCom also provides connectivity for JGI’s Tchimpounga sanctuary in the Republic of Congo.  To learn more about Tchimpounga Sanctuary and Gombe Stream Research Center, please visit www.janegoodall.org. and about BringCom please visit www.bringcom.com.

Founded in 1977, the Jane Goodall Institute continues Dr. Goodall’s pioneering research on chimpanzee behavior — research that transformed scientific perceptions of the relationship between humans and animals. Today, the Institute is a global leader in the effort to protect chimpanzees and their habitats. It also is widely recognized for establishing innovative community-centered conservation and development programs in Africa, and Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots, the global environmental and humanitarian youth program, which has groups in more than 120 countries. For more information, please visit www.janegoodall.org.