Jane Goodall, the pioneering primatologist who transformed the world’s understanding of chimpanzees and later became one of the planet’s most recognized environmental advocates, has died at the age of 91.
Her decades of field research in Tanzania, beginning in 1960, overturned assumptions about the divide between humans and animals — including her groundbreaking observation that chimpanzees use and fashion tools. She went on to establish the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977, which supports research, community-based conservation, and policy advocacy around the world, with a focus on Africa.
By 1986, she began to devote more energy to advocacy and outreach. She spent the rest of her life traveling the globe, urging governments and communities to protect biodiversity, address climate change, and pursue a more sustainable relationship between people and the natural world.
About the author
Ayenat Mersie
Ayenat Mersie is a Global Development Reporter for Devex. Previously, she worked as a freelance journalist for publications such as National Geographic and Foreign Policy and as an East Africa correspondent for Reuters.
