On the 70th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice, world-renowned zoologist and environmentalist Dr. Jane Goodall and Professor Choi Jae-cheon delivered an ecological peace message near the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

The organizing committee for the DMZ OPEN Festival in Gyeonggi Province announced that the “Roots and Shoots DMZ Ecological Peace Declaration” was held on July 8 at Jangsan Observatory in Paju City.

Dr. Jane Goodall, UN Ambassador for Peace, is a world-renowned zoologist and environmentalist known for her more than 60 years of chimpanzee research, wildlife conservation, and advocacy for the treatment of chimpanzees and other animals. Dr. Choi Jae-cheon, Distinguished Professor at Ewha Womans University, is a leading Korean biologist and animal behavior researcher.

The event was attended by more than 50 members of ‘Roots and Shoots,’ an international grassroots environmental organization, for a day of discussions and activities to promote the value of ecological peace around the world.

Roots and Sprouts members wrote declarations about their daily actions for ecology and peace and presented them to Dr. Jane Goodall. A total of 12 teams participated in the discussions, with the number 12 signifying the 12 people Jane Goodall gathered when she first created Roots and Sprouts in Tanzania. Dr. Jane Goodall and Professor Choi Jae-cheon empathized with their work and highlighted the importance of ecology and the value of peace.

Roots and Shoots, founded by Dr. Jane Goodall in 1991, is an international grassroots environmental movement whose members travel the world to meet with other members and spread the message of ecology and peace. Today, there are more than 8,000 affiliated groups in nearly 140 countries.

At Jangsan Observatory, participants released a large fabric pigeon, a symbol of peace, bearing messages for ecological peace on the Korean Peninsula. They also held a procession in which they stomped on the ground to the beat of a drum, symbolizing the steps of top predators in the wild so as to express the value of protecting wildlife in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

Professor Choi Jae-cheon, organizer of the DMG Open Festival, said, “With its rich biodiversity, the DMZ is a precious asset for humanity… We hope the DMZ Open Festival will be an opportunity to convey the diverse ecological, peace, and cultural values of the DMZ.”

Dr. Jane Goodall said, “Walking here near the DMZ, I saw an old bunker buried in the bushes and realized once again the great resilience of nature… I sincerely hope that the Korean Peninsula will be restored to its natural state of peace and that we will be able to meet people from the North at the DMZ.”

Meanwhile, on July 6, Dr. Jane Goodall participated in a special lecture at the DMZ Open Festival in Gyeonggi Province, titled “15 Minutes to the DMZ” (Sevashi), and conversed with Professor Choi Jae-cheon on “The Future of DMZ Ecology, Reasons for Hope”. This lecture will be released on August 2 on YouTube.