Right, from top:
Dr Jane Goodall,
a life in picturesSomething
new every
day, that’s
what I like.
Understanding
that each day
you live, you
do make a
difference
VIEWPOINT
earthquakes or flooding, how
many clues does nature have to
give us before we actually learn,
or wake ourselves up to the
damage and the destruction that
we’re causing?
I think some of these people at
the top know. But for them, the
immediate profit, the immediate
gain... it’s just greed. And then, there are the people who feel
there’s nothing you can do about it anyway, so “eat, drink and
be merry, for tomorrow we die”. That’s why it’s so important
to get this new fighting atmosphere. That’s why my great
hope is in the youth.
They are the solution. I say “they”,
I’m 34 now, so I can’t quite...
You’re still in the youth category!
Am I? Good. Phew! I hope
to remain youthful for the rest
of my life.
Well, I have. So you can, too
[laughs].
Well, you surround yourself with the right people and you
do the right things, and as long as you can be a kid at heart,
then, growing up is fun as opposed to scary.
Exactly. And you hopefully get wiser.
Yes, you undoubtedly get wiser. I think, again, what I’ve noticed
in myself, is that life is about evolving. You are continually
changing, and if you don’t think that every day is a learning
process, then life is going to be very tricky for you.
Something new every day, that’s what
I like. Understanding that each day you
live, you do make a difference. This
materialistic [mindset]... We’ve moved
away from any kind of spiritual connection
with nature which, to me, is really
important. They’ve actually proved that
children need to be out in nature for good
psychological development. Now,
we’ve got kids who never have a
chance to get in nature.
But for me, personally – and I’m
sure it’s the same for you – nature
is a medicine. In so many areas, it’s
free. Now, I know more and more
people are being brought up in
cities completely disconnected
from the outside world.
That’s why it’s so important, these
new developments of green in the city: green walls, green
on the roofs, it makes a big, big difference.
It makes a huge difference. This is one question I would
love to touch on with you: what can we do to lift up
the current and/or emerging leaders within the
countries who are dealing with the greatest challenges
for wildlife and conservation?
I have talked with some of these leaders, and if you
can tell stories that get into their
hearts, sometimes they change. You
never know at the time what effect
your conversation has had. I was
going to Heathrow from London [in
a taxi]. I was very tired, it was 5am and
[the taxi driver] knew who I was:“Oh, you’re just like my sister, she’s always looking after
these animals, we should be caring
about people, she wants to go and
help stray dogs and cats, and I
haven’t got any time for it.” So,
I sat in the jump seat and I talked
to him, and I told him about the
chimps, the stories, and how they
help each other and how they can
be altruistic. It didn’t work. But
when we got to Heathrow, he had
no change. He owed me 10 quid,
so I said, “Give it to your sister for
her work.” [When I] got back
from the US, there was a letter
from the sister saying, “First, I want to thank you for
your donation. Second, what did you do to my
brother?! He’s been three times to help me with my
work!” If I hadn’t had that letter,
I would never have known. So, it’s
always worth it.
It’s always worth it. But there are
so many people around the world
saying, “Well, what is the work
that you’re doing, what effect is
it actually having?” Sometimes
you have to be able to turn around
and say, “I don’t know.”
Luckily, I can see proof now. I’ve
lived long enough to see the proof
that this has worked!
[ With] Roots & Shoots [a
programme that provides vocational
training to young people], specifically,
what is your greatest achievement?
Empowering young people to
understand that they can make a
difference. When I was 10 years old
and wanted to go to Africa, everybody
laughed at me. It was only my mother
who said, “If you really want this, you’ll
have to work really hard and take advantage
of every opportunity.” And I wish Mum was
around to know the number of people who
said, “Jane, thank you, you’ve taught me
because you did it, I can do it, too.”
How do you remain hopeful?
First of all, youth. Second, this amazing
intellect. We’ve done a lot of
damage with our intellect, we
still are doing it, but we’ve got
better and better clean, green
energy, and if the government
subsidised it, many people could
be off the grid altogether. So, our
intellect really can help us live in
greater harmony and it can help
each one of us to leave lighter
ecological footprints. Next comes the
resilience of nature. There are no bare hills
around Gombe any more. Places that we’ve
totally destroyed, there are incredible
projects going on. The last reason for hope
is the indomitable human spirit. n1965
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