Goodall, Jane
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Commentary
Jane Goodall received her PhD in Ethology from Cambridge University in 1965 and her research on chimpanzees in Gombe National Park on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, which began in 1960, is the longest ongoing study of any group of animals in the wild.
In 1977 she founded the Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife Research, Education and Conservation, whose projects include the Gombe Stream Research Centre in Tanzania; sanctuaries for orphan chimpanzees illegally taken from the wild in four African countries, which benefit the local people by providing employment and an outlet for all the produce that they can grow; a European funded project supporting 30 villages along the shores of Lake Tanganyika with training in sustainable land use techniques, tree nurseries, primary healthcare, family planning, women's projects and micro-credit schemes; Roots & Shoots, a global environmental and humanitarian programme for young people from kindergarten to university, who get involved in activities which demonstrate care and concern for the environment, for animals and for their fellow human beings.
For the last fifteen years she has spent most of her time travelling, fundraising for the projects in Africa and creating awareness of the problems that we have brought upon the planet. She is an ambassador for chimpanzees and other endangered species, especially those threatened by the increasing commercialisation of the bushmeat trade in the Congo Basin area.
Her message is one of hope, that we will find a solution to the environmental devastation that threatens to overtake us. She feels hope lies particularly with the young, and that it is important that every individual realises that what he or she does each day will make a difference, and that by taking responsibility for his or her actions that difference can have a positive rather than negative effect on the world in which we live.
Dr Goodall has received numerous awards and honorary degrees, including the CBE from her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Order of the Golden Ark from Holland, the Kyoto Prize from Japan, the Hubbard Award from the National Geographic Society and a Discovery Channel Award for a Lifetime of Discovery. She has also written over a dozen books and appeared in many films and documentaries. Her books include IN THE SHADOW OF MAN, and her latest book, REASON FOR HOPE.
Information provided by Jane Goodall.