(CN) Goodall speaks on environmentalism

[Guest guest]

China Daily

http://www1.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2002-11-25/95091.html

by LI JING

11/25/2002

 

The well-known naturalist Jane Goodall was in China over the weekend

inspiring young people to love nature, animals and to protect the

environment.

More than 300 students from primary and middle schools and universities

gathered in Beijing to celebrate " Roots and Shoots Day " on Saturday.

 

The Roots and Shoots youth programme, initiated by Goodall in Tanzania in

1991, is designed to involve children and teenagers in hands-on activities

that promote care and concern for the environment, animals and communities.

 

At Saturday's event, some 30 Roots and Shoots teams from Beijing, Tianjin

and other provinces demonstrated their achievements through pictures and

demonstrations.

 

Pupils from the Beijing Chuiyangliu No 2 Primary School exhibited their

record of observing the activities of animals living around a big tree near

their school over the past year.

 

They watched magpies, woodpeckers and squirrels build nests and gather food

on the branches of the tree. They also found ladybugs on the leaves,

stinkbugs and several kinds of unknown caterpillars, their report said.

 

Through observation, the pupils said they learned that birds, insects,

reptiles and other plants and animals live interdependently. If one of them

suffered any damage, other species would be affected.

 

" In a more general picture, human beings, animals and plants are also

dependent on each other, " said the team leader of the group. " We need to

create and protect free and safe surroundings for plants and animals, so

that human beings can live a better life with them. "

 

The Roots and Shoots programme currently has over 4,000 groups in 69

countries throughout the world. Through constructive activities, the

participants have become more aware of how their actions affect their local

community and the environment as a whole, teachers said.

 

It also promotes understanding between individuals from different nations,

cultures, and ethnic groups, Goodall said. She was named as a Messenger of

Peace by the United Nations this April.

 

Goodall spends over 300 days a year touring the world, giving lectures and

raising awareness for environment protection.

 

As one of the most legendary people of the 20th century, Goodall, who was

born in the United Kingdom, travelled to Africa in her 20s to study

chimpanzees for long periods of time alone in their isolated forest habitat.

She is known as the " Mother of Chimpanzees. "