The voice of the natural world would be, "Could you please give us space and leave us alone to get along with our own lives and our own ways, because we actually know much better how to do it then when you start interfering."
Jane GoodallRead
Most Africans don't get to see these wild animals at all. Once they see and learn about them, they are much more likely to become involved in protecting the environment.
Interpretation
Awareness of wildlife can enhance environmental protection efforts in Africa.
This quote by Jane Goodall highlights the importance of exposure and education about wildlife for Africans. It suggests that when individuals from the continent have the opportunity to see and understand wild animals, they tend to develop a stronger commitment to environmental conservation, recognizing the value of their natural heritage and the necessity of protecting it.
In practice
During a lecture on wildlife conservation, this quote could be used to emphasize the importance of local engagement.
The voice of the natural world would be, "Could you please give us space and leave us alone to get along with our own lives and our own ways, because we actually know much better how to do it then when you start interfering."
We can't leave people in abject poverty, so we need to raise the standard of living for 80% of the world's people, while bringing it down considerably for the 20% who are destroying our natural resources.
I was born in London in England in 1934. I went through, as a child, the horrors of World War II, through a time when food was rationed and we learned to be very careful, and we never had more to eat than what we needed to eat. There was no waste. Everything was used.
Chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutan shave been living for hundreds of thousands of years in their forest,living fantastic lives, never overpopulating, never destroying the forest. I would say that they have been in a way more successful than us as far as being in harmony with the environment.
There are an awful lot of scientists today who believe that before very long we shall have unraveled all the secrets of the universe. There will be no puzzles anymore. To me, it'd be really, really tragic because I think one of the most exciting things is this feeling of mystery, feeling of awe, the feeling of looking at a little live thing and being amazed by it and how it has emerged through these hundreds of years of evolution and there it is and it is perfect and why.
In what terms should we think of these beings, nonhuman yet possessing so very many human-like characteristics? How should we treat them? Surely we should treat them with the same consideration and kindness as we show to other humans; and as we recognize human rights, so too should we recognize the rights of the great apes? Yes.
Probably the most visible example of unintended consequences, is what happens every time humans try to change the natural ecology of a place.
One day's exposure to mountains is better than a cartload of books.
We cannot win this battle to save species and environments without forging an emotional bond between ourselves and nature as well - for we will not fight to save what we do not love.
I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright.
Zoo animals are ambassadors for their cousins in the wild.
In the mountain, stillness surges up to explore its own height In the lake, movement stands still to contemplate its own depth.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.