Eminent primatologist praises Qatar’s conservation efforts

Well known British primatologist and anthropologist, Dr Jane Goodall has commended Qatar’s conservation efforts and hopes that her initiative, 'Roots & Shoots' global youth programme will take off in Qatar."Everywhere I go, I try to introduce the Roots & Shoots programme. That's why it's growing around the world. And I certainly hope, after my visit here, that the programme will take off in Qatar,” said, Dr Goodall, who is in town for the ongoing Earthna Summit 2023."While I’ve been in Qatar, I went to see the sanctuary of the Oryx conservation programme. And there's no question that, in Qatar and the Gulf states, there have been major conservation efforts for the different animals in the region, and areas set aside for them,” Dr Goodall highlighted.The renowned primatologist is considered the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, after 60 years studying the social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees."There is a new awareness forming of the fact that driving motor vehicles across the desert is tremendously damaging to the very delicate desert ecosystem. I believe that, as in other parts of the world, the Gulf states are beginning to treasure and preserve their environment,” she continued.Dr Goodall noted that in different countries, sustainability can be introduced into the school curriculum in different ways, because the challenges each country faces are different. "In some schools where you find wealthy pupils, they can impose some standards about sustainability, which wouldn't be possible if you're in a very poor school, where the children come from sometimes broken or abusive homes. For them, the concept of sustainability will definitely be different, and different standards will have to apply,” she explained.The renowned primatologist feels that it is important for everybody to realise that all the problems faced today are interconnected. "The more disciplines we bring together, the more we will think about the effect of one solution on a different part of the issue, which will bring us better results. Too often, you solve one problem, but if you're not thinking of the whole picture, you're not realising you've created a problem in another area. So we need different disciplines to work together,” she pointed out.She also highlighted that one of the main goals of the Roots & Shoots programme is to reconnect people with the natural world, and specifically children to provide a real connection with the natural world."Introducing organic gardening into schools to grow organic food, planting butterfly gardens, taking children out so that they can explore, are all important in igniting children’s curiosity towards nature. Young children absolutely love exploring earth, they love watching plants grow. And if you get them really young, they will always have that desire to be spending time out in the natural world,” added the legend.