Narrator: At NASA Earth Science, we wake up every day
looking for new ways to expand our understanding
about the Earth, to push the frontiers of science, and to share what
we're learning to benefit people worldwide.
Together with our partners, we put science into action.
One of our partners, the Jane Goodall Institute,
has a mission to protect chimpanzees and the
world we all share. In 1960,
Jane Goodall arrived on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in
Gombe National Park, Tanzania.
Goodall: I think of those early days when it was just me and the forest
and the chimpanzees. It was so magic.
Narrator: As her work studying chimpanzees progress, the land around the park was
steadily deforested for timber and agriculture, severing the connection
between chimpanzees inside and outside the park,
a connection they need to survive.
Deforestation is a problem for people, also.
Goodall: It was clear there were more people living there than the land could support,
they had overfarmed the land, which was
infertile. Terrible soil erosion, little streams getting silted up.
People clearly struggling to survive.
And that's when I realized, unless we improved the lives of the people,
we can't even start to try and save the chimpanzees.
Narrator: People in the communities and
at the Jane Goodall Institute needed a new perspective to
see how changes had taken place over time.
That's when the partnership began between the institute and NASA.
They looked to space, using NASA's satellites that observe the Earth to gain
a higher vantage point.
Pintea: When we first got our Landsat satellite images from '72 and '99 we
made a natural color composite of Gombe and area outside Gombe.
And put them side-by-side and realized that lots of
deforestation happened. You can see it. The villages lost maybe 90 percent
80 percent of the forest cover. And they will tell
stories about how the hills were covered
in forest. But then when you show them a picture, it's very
shocking to everybody, realizing what has been lost.
Villagers were motivated to find new ways
for sustainably managing their land and to protect
the health of the area. The institute and communities
started a forest monitoring program to provide training
and equip community members with GPS-enabled devices
to document forest activities.
Together with the institute, villages developed land use plans
for mapping where to build homes, what areas could support
agriculture, and where it was best to harvest the forest sustainably.
Goodall: Really really exciting to see the
impact of these images on the villagers.
And to see them sitting around and identifying sacred places,
and that enabled them to do these land use management plans.
And that's made all the difference.
Narrator: Tree cover is returning, and Earth observations are
now being used to show progress and inspire
continued action. This helps protect soil needed for
agriculture and clean drinking water, and safeguards
forest health. It also ensures the long-term survival
of Gombe's famous chimpanzees and those
across western Tanzania.
Goodall: I think that there's no question but that NASA with its satellite imagery
used in the right way, it can really be really helpful for conservation.
Narrator: At NASA, we continue to observe,
examine, and advance the understanding of our home planet.
We team with partners who use our science
and solutions for improving life on Earth.