Jane Goodall: A Life of Compassion and Conservation

Of course, this article has to be about Jane.

Scientist. Conservationist. Humanitarian.

My hero, and for many others too.

Jane Goodall. The first human to truly observe chimpanzees — our closest living relatives. She discovered that they make tools and that they are actually omnivores.

I am not going to outline Jane’s achievements, but some key dates need to go in!

-1960: Jane arrives in Africa for the first time
-1977: Jane sets up chimp refuges, which is when the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) was born. JGI focuses on nature and habitat conservation globally.
-1991: Shocked by the deforestation of the other side of the Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania, Jane started her famous Roots & Shoots programme. From its early stages, she involved young people in Tanzania to help find solutions to big problems. This programme has since been running worldwide for positive change in communities globally. It still encourages young people to get involved.
-2002: Jane was appointed a United Nations Messenger of Peace.
-2004: Jane became Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

She received many other awards and honours.

Jane has been campaigning for animals and nature her entire life.

She left a beautiful final message during a documentary that was filmed earlier this year by Netflix. It was locked away in secret until her passing. Now the documentary is out.

Here is a passage of what she told us:

“You may not know it, you may not find it, but your life matters, and you are here for a reason. And I just hope that reason will become apparent as you live through your life. I want you to know that, whether or not you find that role that you’re supposed to play, your life does matter, and that every single day you live, you make a difference in the world. And you get to choose the difference that you make.”

She goes on to talk about the actions that we take each day and asserts that small actions have an impact.

This is exactly my personal mission. To be mindful of our actions — and if we all do what we can, we WILL absolutely make a difference. Change starts at home, which is why we need to get our kids involved.

…Now I need to go and watch that documentary.

Thank you Jane. We will do what we can!

While you are here, have a look at my services to see how I can help you on your eco journey! 

Sources: Jane Goodall Institute, Roots & Shoots, Netflix documentary, National Geographic, United Nations