Powerful & Provocative: Jane Goodall, a Life of Purpose and Persistence

In a world increasingly fractured by environmental decline, political polarisation, and social injustice, primatologist and anthropologist Jane Goodall stood tall as an enduring guidepost. Her life’s work, from observing chimpanzees in Tanzania to advocating for reforestation, biodiversity, and climate justice, teaches us how purpose emerges through responsibility, hope, and action. In 2002, Jane was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace.

With news of her passing this week, we’re dedicating this edition of Powerful & Provocative to her and her life’s work.

Jane’s journey began in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania, where she launched a long-term study of chimpanzees in 1960 under the mentorship of Louis Leakey, Kenyan archaeologist and palaeontologist.

Jane Goodall often attributes her decision to pursue primatology to her mother’s encouragement, which was especially significant because the field was largely dominated by men at the time. She has reflected that when she began her research in the late 1950s, opportunities for women in primatology were virtually nonexistent.

Her early findings upended scientific dogma: chimpanzees were capable of tool use, emotional bonds, human actions like hugs and kisses, and personality; qualities once thought uniquely human.

These discoveries did more than shift primatology, they revealed a deeper truth: human beings are not separate from the natural world, but deeply embedded in it. That idea would animate her later advocacy.

Over time, Goodall’s focus broadened from chimpanzee behaviour to the threats confronting the ecosystems those chimpanzees live in—and our own. Through the Jane Goodall Institute and its programs (like Roots & Shoots), she has championed community-centered conservation: restoring forests, educating local communities, and linking human well-being with ecological health.

In her public messages, she has repeatedly argued that biodiversity loss, climate change, and social inequity are intertwined. As she once said:

“In order to slow down climate change, we must solve four seemingly unsolvable problems. We must eliminate poverty. We must change the unsustainable lifestyles of so many of us. We must abolish corruption. And we must think about our growing human population… But I believe we have a window of time to have an impact.”

One of Goodall’s most resonant messages is that hope is not passive. In The Book of Hope, she argues that to hope is also to act. It requires courage, effort, and consistency. Her life became a living sermon of that ethos.

Jane Goodall’s work resonates so strongly today because she insists that our crises must be understood as interconnected; deforestation fuels climate change, which deepens inequality, leaving vulnerable communities at even greater risk, as one example.

Yet she grounds this awareness not in despair but in hope, showing that grief can be a doorway to renewal. Her journey from scientist to global advocate is a reminder that observing is not enough; voices, platforms, and influence must be used to push for systemic change. At the heart of her philosophy is an invitation to resist creatively, through art, storytelling, activism, and collaboration; because these are not luxuries, but essential tools for reweaving our social and ecological fabric.

Jane Goodall lived a full, purposeful life that is worth remembering, and should serve as a beacon for future generations. There has never been a better time to care for our planet, our fellow humans and primates, and actively hope for a better future.