(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

The UAE remembers British primatologist Jane Goodall, who left a profound legacy through her extensive partnership with Expo City Dubai, where she established transformative environmental education programmes that continue to inspire young people across the region.

Goodall, whose groundbreaking research with chimpanzees transformed our understanding of the natural world and who became one of its most revered advocates, died at the age of 91 on Wednesday. The Jane Goodall Institute confirmed she“died peacefully in her sleep while in Los Angeles” on a speaking tour of the United States.

Recommended For You Dubai-London travel: Emirates ramps up Heathrow winter schedule with 48 weekly flights UAE: Traffic diversion implemented on Fujairah road from October 1

Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.

Marjan Faraidooni, Chief of Education & Culture at Expo City Dubai, paid tribute to Goodall's lasting impact on the community.“Dr. Jane Goodall's legacy is deeply woven into Expo City, from the bee sanctuary at Terra to the Roots & Shoots programme office that continues to empower youth here in the UAE,” she said in a statement.

“Through her work, she inspired young people to believe in their own ability to make a difference and reminded us that we are part of a larger ecosystem where kindness and care must extend across people, animals, and the natural world. She showed us that hope remains even in a world of challenges, and that every action, no matter how small, can create ripples of positive change. We will honor Dr. Jane by continuing our work with dedication and purpose, always guided by her belief in compassion and in our shared responsibility to safeguard the planet.”

Goodall's collaboration with Expo City Dubai began in January 2024 with a landmark achievement: the establishment of the region's first permanent office of Roots & Shoots at Terra – The Sustainability Pavilion, which forms the heart of Expo City's green education programmes.

This groundbreaking initiative marked a significant milestone in environmental education across the Middle East, bringing Goodall's globally recognized youth empowerment program directly to the UAE.

The Roots & Shoots office at Terra serves as a regional hub for cooperation, building on the pavilion's mission to put climate action at the forefront of everyone's minds.

The program leverages Expo City's extensive school network to expand among Arabic and English public and private institutions, offering interactive student workshops spanning tree-planting, beekeeping and habitat conservation within Terra's inspiring grounds, as well as in schools and outdoor environments.

During her partnership with Expo City Dubai, Goodall shared her philosophy on creating lasting environmental change through youth engagement.

In an interview with Khaleej Times, and sharing an incident about the impact of children on shaping perspectives, Goodall highlighted that even well-established businesses have transformed when influenced by the insights of youngsters.

“I talk to a lot of CEOs, big businesses, and one thing that I've realized is that there is no point shouting at them that they are wrong. That's because they are not going to listen. To change people you have to change them from within. You have got to reach their heart.”

She added,”I met the CEO of a multinational company and he said in the last few years I have tried to make my business more sustainable and ethical in the supply chain and the way we treat our customers. But it didn't happen. But once my child said, 'Daddy tell me what you are doing is not harming the planet? That's because it's my planet'. That reached his heart. So Roots and Shoots is absolutely about getting children into nature.”

In January 2025, she returned to Dubai to unveil the Jane Goodall's Pollinator Garden at Terra, a sanctuary for native bees and a living classroom for visitors. During the launch, she spoke to Khaleej Times about the critical need to protect pollinators, stating,“If we want to protect wild bees, then we need to protect the plants they have a partnership with.”

Born in London on April 3, 1934, Goodall's fascination with animals began in childhood. In 1957, she traveled to Kenya and began her pioneering research on chimpanzees in Tanzania under the guidance of palaeoanthropologist Louis Leakey. Her discovery that chimpanzees make and use tools rocked the scientific world and redefined the relationship between humans and animals.

Her work extended beyond research into relentless advocacy. In 1977, she founded the Jane Goodall Institute to continue her work in research and conservation. Her activism was driven by a desire to protect chimpanzees and their habitats from threats like medical research, hunting, and deforestation.

MENAFN02102025000049011007ID1110141691