+ Q: What exactly is Great Apes 2020?
A: Great Apes 2020 is an effort to combine investigative journalistic rigor; an objective scientific approach; and the latest communication and education resources to analyze critical threats driving great ape extinction, search for innovative solutions to their survival, and engage the public as deeply and immediately as possible.
+ Q: Want is Great Apes 2020’s main objective?
A: To answer the unthinkable — are great apes going extinct in the wild? And if so what can be done to change the course of history?
+ Q: Where is Great Apes 2020 being conducted?
A: The Great Apes 2020 project is a global effort across the equatorial great ape range states in Africa and Asia as well as examining third-parties significantly driving wildlife and illegal resources trafficking. The project is not about any single ape species. Rather it focuses on the issues facing all apes—deforestation, poaching, conflict resources, industrial-scale agriculture (palm oil), zoonotic disease and, of course, climate chaos.
+ Q: Does Great Apes 2020 (or GLOBIO) have research sites?
A: No, Great Apes 2020 is a reporting education project created by photographer/writer Gerry Ellis. It is designed to report on what scientists, conservationists, researchers and others are doing, and not doing, to save great apes from extinction in the wild.
+ Q: How long will the Great Apes 2020 project last?
A: Until the December 31, 2020.
+ Q: Who is the Great Apes 2020 team?
A: The team is led by creator Gerry Ellis, with Skye Fitzgerald, Kenny Allen, and Bruce McCammon and the staff at Minden Pictures, and a variety of valued volunteers.
+ Q: How can I help save great apes?
A: There are a number of opportunities to get involved in saving great apes in the wild. Following Great Apes 2020 regularly will give you up-to-date information on issues great apes are facing. With that information you can chose to support and/or volunteer for organizations working with that species or habitat (via website links we provide in our Diaries postings and social media listings about those efforts.) Sign up for our GA2020 e-newsletter about critical issues needing you direct attention.
+ Q: Where is the best place to follow the most current information about the project?
A: From the Great Apes 2020 homepage you can link to our social media as well as the blogs, videos and portfolio slide shows on the website—you choose what works best for you. Other options include our e-newsletter and Paperli which aggregate everything we are doing and deliver it to your desktop every day or every week— again you choose.
+ Q: How are GLOBIO and Great Apes 2020 connected?
A: Great Apes 2020 is a project under the oversight of non-profit 501(c) GLOBIO. GLOBIO has been engaged in formal and informal education about our planet for since 2001. Visit the GLOBIO site for more information.
+ Q: How is Great Apes 2020 funded?
A: Through it’s parent organization GLOBIO, Great Apes 2020 is funded privately by Gerry Ellis and other private individuals and family foundations, through a grant from the Philadelphia Zoo’s Global Conservation Prize, and through in-kind support of vetted Sponsors.
+ Q: How can I financially help the Great Apes 2020 project?
A: Direct financial support is extremely helpful. The reporting we are doing around the world is costly. Your donation is through GLOBIO and is tax deductible in the USA.
+ Q: Can I help Great Apes 2020 in non-financial ways?
A: Yes, via our website, social media feeds and in our e-newsletter we often ask for limited volunteer help in a range of activities that couldn’t be accomplished without support. Activities have ranged from GIS creation of our ESRI Story Map, to website design, to video editing, and working on social media campaigns. If you have a skill-set you think might be valuable please drop us a note and explain your idea, a few details about your skill-set level, and of course a contact for reaching you. Thanks!
If you do not find answers to your question, feel free to leave a message from our contact page, or email Gerry directly at askgerry@greatapes2020.com.