Above all, the London-born researcher will be remembered for her work in redefining our species' relationship to our primate cousins. From her ground-breaking documentation of chimpanzees using tools, to an iconic embrace shared with a rescued ape named Wounda - Goodall's work with animals changed mankind.
It's precisely because of the Doctor's work with apes that she understood humans better than almost anyone, for better and worse. She recognised our species' brilliant capacity to create, and dedicated her life to combatting our ability to destroy. Farm animals are intelligent; Goodall recognised this, stating "I looked at the pork chop on my plate and thought: this represents fear, pain and death".
Every individual matters, every individual has a role to play
So, what can be done? It's not feasible to ask people, already struggling to make ends meet, to live their lives exactly to the example of Dr. Goodall. It is, however, absolutely crucial that we hear the message: "every individual matters, every individual has a role to play". As young people, it is up to us to refuse to inherit the planet we've been given. It is up to us to organise, rally and fight back. We can, and must build a movement on the legacy of Jane Goodall; for the sake of all animals and for our species' shared morality.
Our planet has one less champion as it faces near-irreversible decline
In the wake of Jane Goodall's passing, it is a bitter but necessary pill to swallow in acknowledging that without the researcher, our planet has one less champion as it faces near-irreversible decline. The WWF - an organisation Goodall worked extensively with - note that wildlife populations have declined by 73% since 1970. Of the Chimpanzee populations studied by the Doctor in the 1960s, more than 75% no longer exist.
On a planet where a staggering 94% of living mammals and 71% of living birds exist only as agriculture to one day be eaten by humans, Dr. Goodall will be remembered for pioneering female research and for her love for all animals.