A tree for Jane Goodall

A tree in honour of Jane Goodall: Friedrich Schiller University Jena took part in the worldwide "Trees for Jane" campaign to honour the world-famous primatologist Jane Goodall. A loquat oak (Quercus rysophylla) was planted in the Botanical Garden opposite the Thuringian University and State Library. As Dr Stefan Arndt, Scientific Head of the Botanical Garden, explains, this species originally comes from northern Mexico. The tree had been acquired for a scientific project and had previously stood in a tub in the Botanic Garden. The loquat oak grows to a height of around 25 metres and the tree that has now been planted is the only one of its kind in the Botanic Garden.

University President Prof. Dr Andreas Marx paid tribute to Jane Goodall's achievements in a short speech. The now world-famous primatologist began field research on wild chimpanzees in Africa in the 1960s. Goodall, who celebrated her 90^th birthday in spring 2024, was able to prove, among other things, that chimpanzees not only use tools, but also make them themselves. In the 1970s, Goodall founded the Jane Goodall Institute, which is active in over 30 countries. The researcher works tirelessly to protect and preserve nature. At the end of the small ceremony in the Botanical Garden, the Dean of the Faculty of Biological Sciences Prof. Dr Lars-Oliver Klotz and Professor of Biodiversity Research Dr Christine Römermann placed a plaque in Jane Goodall's honour.