Jane Goodall Institute Belgium

International Youth Day 2026 | Different Contexts, Common Aspirations 🌍

No matter where they live, young people share the same hopes: dignity, opportunity, quality education, meaningful participation, decent work, and a sustainable future.

This year's International Youth Day shines a spotlight on youth in Least Developed Countries, where challenges like climate change, poverty, geographic isolation, and unequal digital access.

At the same time, these young people continue to demonstrate resilience, leadership, and innovation in advancing sustainable development within their communities and beyond.

With nearly 1.3 billion young people worldwide, youth are not just the leaders of tomorrow—they are driving change today.

On 12 August, join the global conversation by celebrating youth-led initiatives, sharing stories of hope and collaboration, and amplifying young voices working toward a more inclusive and sustainable future.
Together, we can turn shared challenges into shared progress.

📩 If your school is interested to receive workshops from us — or you’d like to share this with your child’s teacher — register via our website or contact us at [email protected]

Together, let’s create a future where all life thrives. 🌍✨

🌳 Belgian Tree of the Month: Linden (Tilia spp.) 🌳

With its heart-shaped leaves, sweetly scented flowers, and broad crown, the linden is one of Belgium’s most cherished native trees. Found in forests, parks, and village squares, it provides shade while supporting countless species of wildlife. 💚🐝

Blooming in early summer, linden flowers are rich in nectar, making them a favourite of bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. Their fragrant blossoms have also been used for centuries to prepare soothing herbal infusions, while the tree’s soft wood is prized for carving and craftsmanship.

✨ Fun fact: The linden was once known as the “Tree of Justice.” Across Europe, people gathered beneath its branches to hold meetings, celebrate community events, and settle disputes, making it a lasting symbol of unity and peace.

🌳Healthy forests begin with native trees. Help us restore biodiversity by supporting our tree-planting projects and volunteering with JGI Belgium. Visit JaneGoodall.be to learn more.

The Jane Goodall Institute joins a historic global coalition calling for an end to trophy hunting. 🦁🐘

Hundreds of household names have joined with wildlife experts, former Presidents, African community leaders, religious and Indigenous leaders, to call on the UN to abolish trophy hunting, which claims tens of thousands of endangered animals every year. Our founder, Dr. Jane Goodall, was at the heart of the campaign.

The initiative grew out of a 2025 Wildlife & Conservation Foundation event marking the 10th anniversary of the killing of Cecil the lion. In her address, Dr Goodall told the audience: “How on earth have we allowed this to continue for so long? Trophy hunting is unconscionable.”

A new report has been launched as part of the campaign, which reveals that bears, monkeys and elephants are the most popular animals shot by trophy hunters today. Giraffes, lions, hippopotamuses and leopards are highly sought-after too.

We believe that protecting wildlife from harm also helps people. It is our ethical responsibility, an environmental necessity and a hopeful step towards a more resilient world. 💚

Find out more and join: https://janegoodall.global/trophy-hunting/

Over the last few days—and even more clearly than ever before—we have witnessed the reality of climate change. Around the world, but also close to home, its impacts are no longer distant warnings. They are happening now. 🔥

The situation is becoming urgent. There is still time to shape a better future, but only if we choose action over inaction. ✊

Every decision we make as consumers matters. The food we buy. The clothes we wear. The companies we support. The way we vote. None of these choices is insignificant. Together, they shape the world we live in. 🌍

No single action will solve everything, but millions of conscious actions can transform our future.

"Together, we can. Together, we will. Together, we must." - Jane Goodall

For ourselves. For future generations. For biodiversity. For our planet.
Let's build that future—together.

💚 Follow us for inspiration and opportunities to act locally for nature. Whether through your time, your voice, or a donation, every action matters! Visit JaneGoodall.be for more information.

Dr. Jane Goodall taught us that each of us makes a difference every single day. In her honor, we're kicking off a 365 Days of Compassion challenge, and we're inviting you to join.

How it works: Each month, we'll post a list of small actions you can take throughout the month to spread compassion in your community and help people, other animals, and the environment. 💚

Then, if you'd like, you can share stories of your impact on social media using the hashtag and tagging us so that you can inspire others.

🌿 Today, on World Ranger Day, we celebrate the people who protect nature every single day.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of World Ranger Day, with the theme "Rangers: Guardians of a Changing Planet." It recognises the essential role rangers play in protecting wildlife, biodiversity and natural habitats in the face of today's environmental challenges.

The rangers featured in this carousel are part of the dedicated team at Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Sanctuary, where they help care for rescued chimpanzees and protect the surrounding ecosystems.

Today is also a moment to remember those who have lost their lives or been injured while carrying out their duties, and to thank every ranger for their courage, passion and commitment.
💚 Thank you to all wildlife rangers around the world.

👇 Did you know everything a wildlife ranger does? Let us know in the comments!

🇧🇪Meet Mathis, one of our passionate volunteers from Belgium. His love for nature started at a young age, when his parents dropped him off at 'de natuurrakkers', an initiative by the amazing people at Natuurpunt Meise aimed at connecting young children with nature.

He's felt a true connection with the natural world ever since. "Biodiversity loss is one of the major challenges we are facing right now. It is in our own best interest to take good care of the natural world, but the utilitarian argument isn't the only one. There is an ethical obligation, one of stewardship, to conserve whatever biodiversity we have left.
Actually, I don't really like the term 'biodiversity conservation'. It is limiting in the sense that it creates the impression that we should only think about keeping what is left. A more meaningful task is to create enough space so that nature can follow its own natural processes, its own evolutionary rules, so that we can instead speak of 'biodiversity creation'." 🍀

Volunteering with JGI Belgium gave Mathis a way to turn those beliefs into action. "I joined because after my studies I was looking for a way to contribute. I liked what JGI does to connect children with nature, because getting exposed at a young age is how I got into it myself. That's why the most rewarding part of being at JGI has been teaching about pollinators in a primary school in Brussels. I was surprised to learn how much, at 8 years old, the kids already knew. I barely had to tell them anything." 💚

Last Thursday, we were invited to the Love Tomorrow Summit (part of Tomorrowland) for a talk called 'Listening to Nature's Heartbeat' given by Merlin van Lawick, Jane Goodall's grandson who is carrying her mission forward, in collaboration with Marconi Campos Cerqueira of WildMon. 🌍

They created a multisensory experience of sound and images recorded in Gombe, Tanzania where everything began so many years ago explaining how conservation is important and how we can help. 🌱

It was a wonderful day; we learned a lot and would like to thank all the speakers and organisers for this opportunity! 💚

🔥 African Tree of the Month: Flame Tree (Delonix regia) 🔥

Native to the forests of Madagascar and now widely planted across tropical Africa and beyond, the flame tree is celebrated for its spectacular canopy of fiery red-orange flowers. Its vibrant blooms and broad, umbrella-shaped crown make it one of the world's most iconic tropical trees, bringing beauty and cooling shade to landscapes. 🌳❤️

Its striking flowers attract bees, butterflies, and birds, while its wide canopy provides shelter and relief from the sun for both wildlife and people. After flowering, the tree produces long, woody seed pods that can remain on its branches for many months.

✨ Fun fact: The flame tree is often called nature’s umbrella because its canopy can spread even wider than the tree is tall, making it a favourite shade tree in parks, streets, and gardens around the world.

🌿Small actions, like planting a tree, can have a lasting impact on biodiversity and local ecosystems. Visit JaneGoodall.be to learn how you can help us grow a greener future.

🚨Pesticides don’t just kill pests! They spread through soil and water, poison nature, and ultimately end up on our plates. 💀

In the last 40 years, we have lost over 60% of farmland birds, mainly because of intensive agriculture and the overuse of pesticides.
Pesticides can directly poison birds, as well as reduce their food sources, disrupt breeding, and affect migration.

But instead of protecting our nature and health, the European Commission proposed to weaken pesticide rules pushed by powerful industries.

On 12 June, EU Member States will now vote on that proposal.
It’s now up to our politicians to say no to this dangerous idea.

Join half a million people and say ‘protect our nature and health’: https://lnkd.in/ekj7yJhr

Infographic by Yuyarikuna Films.