GRASP Promotes Trans-Boundary Process in W. Africa

A trans-boundary process to promote wildlife and habitat conservation in the Tai-Sapo Forest Complex between Libera and Cote d’Ivoire is back on track following a two-day steering committee meeting that was held March 20-21 in Abdijan.

The Tai-Sapo Forest Complex is home to numerous endangered species, including the Western chimpanzee, which numbers less than 1,000 in that landscape.

Delegates crafted a vision statement that emphasized “conservation of biodiversity and participatory sustainable management of natural resources” while ensuring the “well-being” of local communities.

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GRASP Ian Redmond Award Targets National Commitment

The Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP) today launched the GRASP – Ian Redmond Conservation Award, seeking to inspire a new wave of Africans and Asians dedicated to the long-term survival of great apes and their habitat.

The award was introduced at the CITES XVI Convention in Bangkok, Thailand.

The GRASP-Ian Redmond Conservation Award is designed to encourage innovation, inspire leadership, and offer hope in the field of great ape conservation in Africa and Asia. One winner from each continent will be chosen on a biennial basis, and each will receive USD 11,000 and a plaque. 

The current deadline for applications is September 1, 2013.

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Goodall Offers Hope in Kenyan Lecture

Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP) ambassador Dr. Jane Goodall said that the “indomitable human spirit” gave her reason for hope, but warned that mankind’s greed still threatens that natural world in a rare Kenyan lecture appearance at the National Museums of Kenya on January 26.

A sell-out crowd filled the museum’s Main Gallery to hear Goodall, who has studied chimpanzees in Tanzania for more than 50 years, but increasingly speaks on issues of global significance.

Goodall’s “Reason for Hope” lecture – taken from her 1998 book of the same name – referenced both the compassionate and caring side of chimpanzees, but also their dark and violent side. “In the end, we must admit they are very much like us,” she said.

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