Dr. Jane Goodall (1934-2025)
The Thoreau Society mourns the death of Dr. Jane Goodall, who went into the forest to study the remarkable lives of chimpanzees—and came out of the forest to save them. A scientist, humanitarian, and storyteller, her life’s work was a testament to the power of curiosity, compassion, and deep respect for all living things. From the forests of Gombe to the halls of the United Nations, her voice echoed a single, urgent message: that we are not separate from nature, but a part of it, and we have a duty to protect it.
Like Thoreau, she invited us to examine the role of humanity as it changes the planet and to find ways to live more deliberately. Through the Jane Goodall Institute and Roots & Shoots, she empowered millions of young people around the world to become stewards of the environment by planting trees, protecting wildlife, and standing up for their communities. Her message is clear: every individual matters, every action counts, and together we can change the world.
The Earth is a “great tapestry, a living tapestry, beautiful and glorious, with all these interrelated species,” she said in her 2022 address to the Thoreau Society. “When a species becomes extinct in that ecosystem, it’s like pulling a thread from that tapestry. And if enough threads are pulled, then that tapestry will hang in tatters, and the ecosystem will collapse.”
Despite the frayed threads—climate change, human encroachment, and species extinction—Dr. Goodall expressed optimism. She believed in the collective power of individual action to save the natural world. Like Thoreau, she believed in the resilience of nature and the human spirit.
Dr. Jane Goodall was honored in 2022 with the Thoreau Prize for Literary Excellence in Nature Writing.
We celebrate her courage and conviction.
