World famous primatologist awarded Tang Prize for work on sustainable development
Taiwan News
Date: 2020/06/18
By: Ching-Tse Cheng, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
Jane Goodall named winner of 2020 Tang Prize in sustainable development. (CNA photo)
Known as "the girl who lived among wild chimpanzees," Goodall was revealed as the Tang Prize laureate Thursday at a press conference held by the Tang Prize Foundation and members of the Academia Sinica selection committee. The award citation referred to Goodall's anthropological work and environmental conservation, calling it "groundbreaking" and "unparalleled," according to UDN.
The Tang Prize Foundation pointed out that Goodall's insight into how chimpanzees make and use tools, in the 1960s, has shaken the foundation of modern science and reshaped global understanding of primates and species conservation. It added her findings were also among the examples of proof to defy the longstanding idea that only humans understood tool usage.
Following the award announcement, Goodall expressed gratitude for the recognition in a video and said she was overwhelmed by the news. The 86-year-old said she was delighted for her Taiwanese connections and wanted to thank the island nation's researchers for having faith in her pursuit of animal conservation. [FULL STORY8]
