Mourning The Passing Of Dame Jane Goodall
Following the death of our irreplaceable patron, Dame Jane Goodall, we share the following message to honour her memory.
We mourn the passing of Dame Jane Goodall, our patron, with deep sadness and immense gratitude. We celebrate her trailblazing legacy as one of the most respected conservationists of our time. One whose leadership transformed our understanding of the natural world and our place within it. Her life’s work was rooted in hope. We must continue her message of hope in everything we do and our vision of a world in which our human population lives fairly and sustainably with nature and each other.
– Amy Jankiewicz, Chief Executive, Population Matters
“This organisation, Population Matters, is so very important, because this is one of the most important issues that we face today. We can’t go on like this, we can’t push human population growth under the carpet… I would encourage every single conservation organisation, every single government organisation, to consider the absurdity of unlimited economic development on a planet with finite natural resources.”
– Dame Jane Goodall
An incredible legacy
Dame Jane Goodall was a pioneer in the field of primatology. Her groundbreaking research observing wild chimpanzees challenged the belief of the time of ‘man as the toolmaker’ and proved that other species could use and develop tools.
Over a 65-year career, her research taught us how similar chimpanzees are to humans, observing their complex social dynamics. Just like humans, they can be both peaceful and compassionate, as well as violent and cruel. Her research helped to dismantle the idea of human exceptionalism and raised our collective understanding of how we belong to and rely upon the natural world.
Dame Jane remained a committed advocate, using her platform to raise awareness of the impacts of human population growth on the environment. She joined us remotely at our 2019 Population Matters conference and spoke powerfully about how she’d observed population growth directly contributing to the loss of chimpanzee habitat and the degradation of the land shared by people and wildlife.
It first hit me, really hit me, when I flew over Gombe National Park in 1990, a tiny island of forest surrounded by completely bare hills, it was obvious there were more people living there than the land can support.
– Dame Jane Goodall, 2019 Population Matters conference.
Dame Jane Goodall brought a deep compassion to her work for both chimpanzees and the local communities bordering the Gombe National Park. She recognised the importance for humans and wildlife to live in a sustainable balance. In setting up the Jane Goodall Institute – an organisation dedicated to research, conservation, education, as well as running family planning and microcredit programmes – she understood that successful conservation efforts must include addressing population and improving local livelihoods at their heart.
She also founded the Roots & Shoots non-profit, a programme that teaches young people of all ages how to engage with environmental and humanitarian issues. With chapters in over 140 countries, the organisation has created a movement which has inspired the next generation of leaders to follow in Dame Jane’s footsteps and improve humanity’s relationship with the natural world.
As we mourn the loss of Dame Jane Goodall, we also celebrate all that she has achieved as a leading expert on chimpanzees, who also paved the way for other female researchers in a previously male-dominated field. We are exceptionally honoured to have had her wisdom as a Population Matters patron. Her inspiring life’s work has advanced our mission.
Our work will build on her legacy by continuing to normalise the conversation on population by tackling the causes and effects of unsustainable population growth and the impact population has on our environment and the natural world, to ensure that chimpanzees – and all other species – can continue to thrive.
Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference.
– Dame Jane Goodall
If you would like to remember Dame Jane Goodall and continue her legacy defending the beauty and fragility of nature, with a donation to Population Matters, please visit Make a donation in memory of Dame Jane Goodall.
