Our thoughts on her legacy 

by Mia Taylor

The world has lost an icon, the likes of which we are never likely to see again. The passing of Dr. Jane Goodall earlier this week, one of the most revered, beloved and influential environmental figures of our time and a naturalist who fundamentally changed the way humans view primates, shattered hearts across the globe. A boundless and dedicated champion of conservation causes until the very end, Goodall died while on a speaking tour at the age of 91.

Despite her advanced age, it was news that none of us who loved her and all that she stood for would ever fully be ready to hear. Goodall’s legions of admirers, colleagues, and friends the world over immediately took to social media to express sorrow over the loss of one of the most influential people in human history.

Goodall’s legacy will continue

Goodall’s was a life so giant and so important, and she leaves behind a legacy so large, that the titles environmentalist and naturalist seem to barely scratch the surface of all that she meant to the world.

For many, Goodall will forever be known as the remarkable woman who, at the age of 23, having only previously worked as a waitress and a secretary, inspired renowned paleontologist Louis Leakey to hire her as a secretary and then offer her a chance to study chimpanzees.

Her time in Tanzania at Gombe Stream National Park would, of course, lead to one of the most significant discoveries about animal behaviour ever made – that chimpanzees create and use tools. According to National Geographic, Goodall’s work “redefined what it means to be human and set the standard for how behavioural studies are conducted.”

That was merely the beginning of a profoundly meaningful life dedicated to advocacy and championing the protection of wild animals, the environment and the planet. For Goodall, these efforts were a moral imperative and led her to establish The Jane Goodall Institute in 1977, which funds scientific research and conservation projects around the world. Later in 1991, she created Roots & Shoots, a global program designed to help young people worldwide lead local conservation and humanitarian projects.

And still that’s not all. Goodall wrote scores of books about her learnings and, throughout her life, continued to give lectures on environmental and conservation issues, as well as meet with policymakers. She was also one of the few people ever accepted into Cambridge University’s PhD program without a college degree. Her additional awards and accolades include being named a UN Messenger of Peace in 2002, a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2003 and receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Above and beyond all of those accomplishments, Goodall was beloved as someone whose delicate presence radiated goodness and optimism. For many, including myself, she was a profoundly important beacon of hope, especially now as the world grapples with massive environmental destruction, record biodiversity loss and the threats brought about by human-driven climate change.

Goodall was my hero for as long as I can remember, and I’m not alone in that. I found her deeply and immeasurably inspiring. She seemed to walk apart and above the rest of the human race in her wisdom and grace, existing on a plane that no other human inhabited. Goodall was a ray of light and proof that goodness and heroes still existed amid deeply troubling times. She was someone we could collectively turn to when hope or decency was in especially short supply.

The world is an emptier place without her today. Goodall’s passing has left a deep void. As naturalist Chris Packham told the BBC: “To have lost a hero at a time when we need all of them on the frontline fighting for life on earth is a tragedy.”

I never had the honour of personally meeting or seeing Goodall speak, but many in the JourneyWoman community – and beyond – did have that honour. Goodall had a particularly significant impact on women around the world, as well as the work they do in the areas of sustainability, conservation, and protecting the planet and its wildlife. But it wasn’t just women; Goodall’s life of service and dedication inspired many in the travel community at large to also be passionate stewards of the natural world.

In honour of Goodall’s passing, JourneyWoman has gathered reflections about her life, impact and legacy from some of those in our community who met and worked with her.

Remembering Jane Goodall

Jennifer Haddow, CEO, Wild Women

Jane Goodall is larger than life.

When I heard the news that she passed yesterday, I felt a swell of motivation. The torch has been passed.

To me, her life was about inspiring people to see themselves as part of nature and to love the wild. Her invitation was for us to protect what we love, animals most of all.

I was fortunate to spend some time talking with Dr. Jane, walking by the sea in a garden of cherry trees one spring morning, when I interviewed her for Wild Women Magazine. She told me that if we are going to save endangered animals and protect wild places, we have to address poverty. We have to empower women to be leaders and give people opportunities to have a sustainable livelihood. Tourism is a way to motivate and support people to take care of their natural resources.

As the cameras clicked, Dr. Jane whispered in my ear that she hated having her photo taken. I loved that despite being on the cover of National Geographic and being one of the most photographed women in the world, she didn’t seek attention for herself. It was always about the animals.

Dr. Jane knew that after decades with her beloved chimps in the forests of Tanzania, her story was to serve the wild, to protect what she loved. She believed we could be better.

Her message of hope will never die.

Celine Cousteau, filmmaker and environmental activist

Jane Goodall radiated hope, even in anticipation of her ‘next great adventure’: death. We met many years ago at an event we were both speakers for. I was her opening act. Oh, and what an honour it was to open for Jane.

When this rockstar walked onto the stage, you could feel her calm and joy ripple through the audience. Jane’s legacy can live on in the way in which we carry it – so let us all honour her by continuing to share our love for this planet and its creatures. Let’s all radiate Jane’s hope.

Carly Biggart, Vice president, sales and marketing, Americas at Hurtigruten Norway

Jane Goodall’s passing is such a huge loss for all of us who believe in responsible travel and conservation. She transformed how the world understands our connection to nature and inspired action far beyond her fieldwork.

What absolutely stays with me most is her unwavering belief that every individual can make a difference. I truly believe this myself and that philosophy is deeply aligned with our values at Hurtigruten and continues to influence how we operate and engage with the world. Her legacy lives on in every effort to protect the planet.

Her words to live by: “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

Carolyn Ray, CEO, JourneyWoman

Travelling in Morocco this week, I am deeply saddened to hear the news about Dr. Jane Goodall, who was beloved the world over. In our last reader survey, she was hands down the woman most wanted to meet. Thankfully, I had the opportunity to see her speak just last year near Toronto. She talked about how she followed her dreams and never gave up: “You will find a way to make them happen.” She also spoke about her mother always being by her side, an inspiration for me as a mom to support my own daughter on her journey of life.

I will miss Dr. Goodall and her wisdom, and aspire to bring her passion, dedication and commitment into everything I do at JourneyWoman, as we continue to advocate for sustainable travel and honour women trailblazers in conservation. 

Bruce Poon Tip, philanthropist, founder of G Adventures

The world has lost an angel. Dr. Jane Goodall was a great woman, an inspiration to me personally, and a dear friend.

I was just with Dr. Jane a few weeks ago. We joked about her schedule and I told her that she made me feel like a part-timer and that I should get back on the road again. Even in her nineties, she continued to travel the world, speaking, inspiring and fighting for this planet. She dedicated her life to delivering a message of peace, and her tireless research forever connected humankind with the natural world and the challenges of biodiversity.

Her passing leaves a void that will be felt deeply, not only by those who knew her but by communities and wildlife around the world whose lives she touched through her tireless work.

We have had a long-standing relationship with Dr. Jane and the Jane Goodall Institute for many years that has enabled us to shape how travellers connect with nature in ways that inspire care, conservation, and a sense of responsibility to our planet – values that Jane lived and breathed every day.

Just days ago, we were honoured to announce Dr. Jane as one of our Global Ambassadors, celebrating her as a trailblazer and driver of change. She was truly a gift to humanity, a figure of peace, and a global icon whose message of compassion and hope is needed now more than ever.

I was privileged to meet with Dr. Jane last month, where we spoke about the dual potential of tourism; for harm, but also for tremendous good. In that conversation, she reminded me and everyone listening that “We are all human. We all laugh, we all cry, we all hope, we can all go into despair. We are all one family.” That belief, that we are bound together in responsibility and in hope, was at the core of who she was.

Dr. Jane’s life work will continue to inspire us all at G Adventures. We are committed to honouring her legacy and being the messengers for her through our ongoing work with the Jane Goodall Institute and by carrying forward the principles she championed: respect, compassion, and the deep understanding that we are all connected.

The world has lost a pioneer and relentless warrior for everything that is good in this world. She will be profoundly missed, but her spirit will live on in the forests she loved, in the animals she fought to protect, and in every person whose life she touched with her wisdom and courage.

She was my hero. She inspired me to be better. She was a great woman, a global icon, a figure of peace, and a good friend.

Jessica Blotter, co-founder of Kind Traveler

I am very saddened to share the news of Dr. Jane Goodall’s passing. She was, by all measures, one of the greatest influences on my life and my work. Her legacy and spirit have informed so much of who I am and what I believe in, and I cannot thank the universe enough for her having been with us in this lifetime.

I have admired her, from the moment I first heard of her, for the belief that she lived her life by: that compassion, rather than just intelligence, should be at the center of how we interact with other beings, and with the earth, and with each other. She showed us, over and over, that empathy is not some hippy-dippy dream but is a very real engine for change. Whether she was speaking on plant-based living, the importance of realizing that every living thing has inherent value, or working to give young people a sense of agency in their lives, her life was a testament to the power of hope, action, and moral bravery in the face of our time’s challenges.

In founding Roots & Shoots and in speaking to young people, communities, and world leaders for decades on end, Jane Goodall modelled and demanded that we believe that each of us has the power to do good, and that we should act as though what we do, even in the smallest ways, makes a difference. It is a philosophy that lies at the heart of what I do with Kind Traveler. Every time we inspire even a small change, every time we remind people that their voices and their actions matter, I see her there.

Her legacy is vast—and it is a legacy that will continue to impact all areas of life: scientific, social, and moral. But for me, the most lasting thing about Jane is that she didn’t leave us with a monument. She left us, instead, with a mission: a mission of living with humility, of caring fiercely, of refusing cynicism, and of believing that regeneration is possible. The world is poorer for her absence but infinitely richer for having known her. Thank you, Dr. Goodall, for showing us that the world can be healed, but that to start that process, we must first open our hearts. And then choose, every single day, to act.

Do you have a memory of Dr. Jane, or thoughts on her legacy? Please share it in the comments below!

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