Gombe Masito Ugalla
This escarpment of the Rift Valley, complete with diverse vegetation and unique fauna, is home to the largest chimpanzee community in Tanzania. Here, the Ha people are committed to conservation. They develop their livelihoods and raise environmental awareness to preserve this African lung, which still breathes the legacy of the primatologist Jane Goodall.
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The Ha people
In their cosmogony, the Ha people have inhabited this region since the world was created. Their strong spiritual connection and knowledge of the forest, especially medicinal plants, have led them to play a major role in the biosphere reserve.
Our closest relative, the chimp
In the 1960s, researcher Jane Goodall moved to the area to study the behaviour of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). She found out that not only do they have a personality, until then only thought specific to humans, but they also use rational thought and experience emotions like joy and sorrow.
Traditional beekeeping
Honey and beeswax have been produced in the area for thousands of years, with hives made out of hollowed logs or tree bark. Lately, beekeeping has been promoted as a means to prevent deforestation and for local communities to increase their income.
