China honors Jane Goodall's legacy in wildlife conservation

Jane Goodall, the renowned British primatologist and conservationist, passed away on Wednesday (October 1) at 91. She visited China at least 17 times, leaving a lasting impact through her work, which is featured in Chinese school textbooks. 

Social media platforms in China have been filled with tributes celebrating her dedication to wildlife and environmental protection.

During her final visit to the Chinese mainland in early 2025, Goodall spoke in an interview. "I cherish forests and animals, and I'm deeply invested in our planet's future," she said, sparking widespread responses when the interview was shared online.

Goodall's pioneering research in Tanzania's Gombe region showed that chimpanzees can reason, feel emotions such as joy and sorrow, and use tools—traits once thought unique to humans. Her findings reshaped global understanding of primates.

Many Chinese social media users recalled learning about Goodall in English or biology classes. "I read about her in my high school English textbook, and her story still resonates," one user wrote. Another commented, "She treated chimpanzees like friends and devoted her life to protecting animals. Her moments with them will live on.”

A third user noted, "I discovered her through Thirteen Talks and saw her exhibit at Xining's zoo. She was a tireless force, radiating passion for her work."

In an interview, Goodall reviewed a passage from a Chinese biology textbook about her early fieldwork. It described how chimpanzees initially fled from her at 500 meters (1,640 feet), forcing her to use binoculars. Months later, a male chimpanzee she named David ate near her camp, marking a breakthrough. Each morning, she sat outside her tent, building trust.

Goodall praised China's environmental progress since her first visit in 1998, noting cleaner rivers and stronger protections. "The changes are remarkable," she said, citing laws safeguarding nature, expansive national parks, and efforts to balance development with conservation.

In a 2017 article for the Jane Goodall Institute website, written for World Environment Day, Goodall reflected on the China's growing environmental awareness. In the 1990s, public concern over habitat loss and pollution was rare. Severe flooding and soil erosion in the Yangtze River basin, caused by deforestation, spurred logging bans on steep slopes and large-scale reforestation. Public advocacy for wildlife grew as urbanization accelerated.

Goodall acknowledged the China's environmental challenges but saw potential for global leadership in sustainable practices, especially in reducing fossil fuel reliance. In a 2022 interview with the South China Morning Post, she highlighted the nation's tree-planting initiative, aiming to plant and conserve 70 billion trees by 2030, and its success in saving the giant panda from extinction.

She also commended China's poverty alleviation efforts, declared complete by President Xi Jinping in 2020, lifting nearly 100 million people from extreme hardship. "Poverty drives environmental destruction," Goodall said. "People cut trees for farmland or income. Lifting them out of poverty helps them see that protecting nature secures their future."

The China branch of Roots & Shoots, Goodall's 1990s youth empowerment program, issued an obituary praising her engagement with Chinese youth, scientists, and officials. "Dr. Goodall shared the China's conservation successes globally, spotlighting efforts to protect the crested ibis, restore elk populations, and conserve Asian elephants and giant pandas," it stated.