This book has taken three years to research, write, cut, and edit. Looking back—oh, the people with whom I have corresponded, talked to on the phone, met, exchanged views. People from whom I have learned, who have enriched me, educated me. And we are all united by a love of the natural world.
At times I thought the book would never be finished—and indeed, it could have gone on and on as I found more and more fascinating stories that I wanted to include. And of course the manuscript got too long! Some of the stories could be shortened. Others were so full of important details that it had to be all-or-nothing. Those that have been cut from the book will soon be posted on my blog at the Jane Goodall Institute website, www.janegoodall.org/seedsofhope.
“To begin at the beginning.” With my family! At least in part I am the person I am due to genetics—I inherited my father’s constitution. How else could I have maintained my insane schedule, on the road three hundred days of the year, giving lectures around the world, and found the energy to gather information about the plant kingdom and write this book. But storytelling—that gift comes from my Welsh forebears on my mother’s side, or so I’m told.
But genes are only part of it, and environment and upbringing most assuredly played a major role in molding my clay. My childhood experiences at The Birches, as well as the mix of wonderful characters who made up my immediate family, had a huge influence on the adult I would become. My grandmother Danny (Elizabeth Hornby Joseph) and her daughter, Olly (Elizabeth Olwen), both loved gardening. My mother, Vanne—pronounced Van—(Margaret Myfanwe), was a writer, and when my school essays came back covered in red x’s because of my poor spelling and handwriting, it was she who told me that the substance of the essay was by far the most important and had me read my essays and stories and poems aloud to the family. And my brilliant Uncle Eric (William Eric), who came home most weekends from war-torn London, always encouraged me to go one better than my best. Rusty, my constant companion on all my wanderings in the cliffs and chines. My beloved Beech—always when I get home, I spend quiet time with him, feel the energy under the bark.
And, too, my childhood was surrounded by books—so many books in every room. And they, and their long-dead authors, influenced me too. I can never forget the plants that Hugh Lofting described that lived on the Moon, especially the vain lilies that talked to each other. And there were the jungles of Rudyard Kipling and Edgar Rice Burroughs. And there was that book that shaped and channeled my scientific curiosity about the natural world, The Miracle of Life.
O Vanne, how can I ever thank you. And Danny, Olly, Uncle Eric. All of you—up on that cloud—will love this book. You sang the first notes of it when I was a child, and I have not forgotten. Without my family and my wonderful upbringing, this book could not have been written. My sister is still very much alive and will be thanked later.
Let me not forget those crazy seventeenth- and eighteenth-century plant hunters who ventured into remote parts of the world to bring back species that were new and exotic then, many of which are a normal part of our gardens and parks today. And just wait, dear reader, until you can read on my blog the almost unbelievable story of David Nelson and the breadfruits, the true raison d’être for the mutiny on the Bounty, and the full story of the indomitable Ernst Wilson and how he acquired his “lily limp.” I salute you all. I admire and thank you for your indomitable spirits, for enriching us with stories of deprivation and danger, and for the pure joy you have given all of us who love plants.
It will have been obvious to anyone reading this book how much I love trees. I learned something about their strange prehistoric ancestor, Eospermatopteris, commonly known as Wattieza, from Dr. William E. Stein, Professor of Biological Sciences at Binghamton University. Thank you so much.
Several people have shared with me their special relationships with individual trees, and I am so very grateful that they did so. Dana Lyons—your song, “The Tree,” is so hauntingly beautiful, and I shall share it on our blog. And Myron Eshowsky and Chiu Sein Tuck, your stories are wonderful. I would never have met Tuck had it not been for Andy Brown and Andrew McAulay, who allow me to stay in the little bungalow in the middle of Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden, where I am surrounded not only by marvelous trees but also by wild boar, porcupines, and other wildlife. Thank you, thank you. And thanks also to Julia Butterfly Hill, for reading and adding to my account of your marvelous relationship with Luna. I hope people will read your book, The Legacy of Luna, and learn more about the weeks you lived in her branches, the storms you endured, the love that grew between you.
I am eternally grateful to a number of people who have helped me to travel to the forests of the world. First, of course, Louis Leakey, who taught me so much about the plants of Olduvai on our Sunday adventures, when we took a day off from the hard work of digging for fossils and set off to explore different places. Then there is the intrepid Dr. Michael Fay. Mike, not only have you done so much to help save forests, but you have made it possible for me to visit some of the most beautiful of them. I remember with delight when I spent two days with you during your marathon walk throughout the historic range of the great redwood forests. You even added my little tent and extra supplies to your already weighty backpack, since I was unfit from a life of airplanes and hotels! We sat in the dark after supper, wrapped in our sleeping bags against the cold, while you told me more about the history of forestry there, the many people who had lost their lives, the thousands of giant trees that had been killed. And outlined your hope for the future.
And then, Mike, you persuaded the National Geographic Society to fund an expedition to the forests of the Goualougo Triangle—that last Eden hidden in the swamps of the Congo Basin. There I met ancient forest giants that had never heard the sound of ax or chainsaw. One night was special: the leaves on the forest floor gave out phosphorescent light when we disturbed them with our feet. You told me that this phenomenon was rare and how one night you had sat spellbound as the Pygmies, one by one, disappeared beyond the light of the fire, covered themselves with these leaves, and ran back, each one magically seeming to be a different animal.
There were other people involved in that Goualougo adventure. Michael “Nick” Nichols was the National Geographic photographer. I have known Nick for more than twenty years, and we have worked together on stories about chimpanzees—revealing their plight in the wild and their exploitation for the live animal trade, medical research, entertainment, and the pet industry. When working on those issues, Nick, you even persuaded my son, Grub, to go with you to the forests of Sierra Leone—where both of you nearly died from some terrible tropical fever! And thank you, Nick, for donating that amazing picture of Mike Fay trekking through the swamps with the Pygmy guides.
David Quammen, you not only wrote up the National Geographic magazine story “Jane in the Forest Again” but also tended my blistered feet, advising me to bind them up with camera tape—it worked! Dr. Crickette Sanz and Dr. Dave Morgan, I shall always be grateful to you for the way you welcomed me to your forest paradise, introduced me to your chimpanzees, and shared your camp and your stories. It is like a dream now, as I look back. And an integral part of that dream are the Pygmies—I wish I could thank each of you in person. You shared your knowledge about chimpanzees, told me stories of their life, and cooked me a fantastic meal of brilliant-orange forest mushrooms and green forest leaves.
Dr. Don Jacobs, you are indeed a true friend. You organized my trips to Costa Rica and made it possible for me to see something of the forest there. We went together on the canopy walkway, and we had dinner with President Óscar Arias, who has done so much to save the environment. And as if that was not enough, you also arranged for me to go with you to the rain forest of the Mamoni Valley Preserve in Panama, where you introduced me to Nathan Gray and Lider Sucre of Earth Train, and Colin Weil of EcoGroup. Nathan, you really looked after me, bringing hot coffee to my tent early in the morning when the night calls of the howler monkeys were still ringing in my ears. I got to know some of the local indigenous tribe, the Kuna, who work for Earth Train. And we survived one of the most dramatic river crossings ever—the cars were submerged almost over their bonnets (hoods) and the current was strong. I shall always remember how two of the Kuna tested the depth, riding across on their horses—what superb horsemen they are.
Special thanks to Panta Kasoma, Executive Director of JGI-Uganda, and Peter Appell, Manager of Field Programs, for several wonderful walks in Kibale and Budongo forests, where we have a snare-removal program and are helping to protect chimpanzee forest habitats and link them along the Albertine Rift by means of a leafy corridor. And to Rebeca Atencia, Executive Director of JGI–Congo-Brazzaville, and her husband, Fernando Turmo, for incredible explorations of the canyon forests and the Kouilou River, which flows through enchanted forests in a faraway part of the world.
And I must also thank my good friend Randall Tolpinrud, of Pax Natura Foundation. I received a most unusual award from your foundation: a Native American blanket, presented by Forrest Cuch, which adorns my bed in Bournemouth. This is the place where I have written almost all of this book (and the one before)—sitting on that very blanket! You told me about the amazing Paul Rokich, who reforested the Black Mountains—initially working all on his own. I have not met Paul, but you persuaded him to send me a leaf from one of the first trees he planted all those years ago. Randall, you even hand-carried a homemade meal on a plane from Utah to Tom Mangelsen’s cabin in rural Nebraska so I could have a special birthday dinner while working on the book last April. How you got it all through security was a miracle!
And, Randall, you also put us in touch with your friend, public-interest attorney Steven Druker, Executive Director of the Alliance for Bio-Integrity. Steven, it was so kind of you to fact-check our GMO chapter. I am greatly looking forward to reading your book about GMOs, Altered Genes, Twisted Truth. It promises to be the definitive work on the subject. And Claire Robinson, thank you for reading this same chapter and for your many helpful suggestions. Your generosity and knowledge were invaluable.
Dr. Hugh Bollinger, you, almost more than anyone else, have provided me with so much fascinating information about the kingdom of the plants. From the time when we first met, in Costa Rica, you have kept me up-to-date with everything you feel will interest me—throughout the time I was writing the last book as well as this one. And you provided us with the names of people who could help with fact-checking. You are a true friend.
I am grateful to Howard Bernstein. You located the photo you had shown me years ago of your son, Isaac, entranced by the flowers on his narcissus. Thank you so much.
I have always been fascinated by the medicine men and women, or traditional healers, in Tanzania. Here I want to thank Mikidadi Almasi Mfumya and Yusuph Rubondo, who welcomed me into their homes and shared information about their work. Yusuph, I loved your sense of humor. You shared that dramatic story about how you were seized by a python when you were a child and dragged toward the river—fortunately some villagers rescued you in the nick of time. The way you told it to us made it very funny. And Mikidadi, you were so delighted to show us around your forest garden, telling us stories of where the different medicinal plants came from.
Dr. Shadrack Kamenya, of our Gombe Stream Research Centre, helped to arrange those visits. You were with me and helped with translations and photography. And it was you who told me that two of our staff at Gombe are also skilled in the use of medicinal plants. One, Shaban Mbwama, is a close relative of Mzee Rubondo. The other, Madua Mbrisho, is a friend of my son—as small boys they swam and fished together in Lake Tanganyika.
Forester Aristides Kashula, for years you have been working with traditional healers, gaining their trust, persuading them to pass on their ancient herbal knowledge. You and botanist Grace Gobbo, of our TACARE staff, were eventually able to gain the trust of eighty-six medicine men and women in the area, and I thank you both for all the information you have shared with me.
Revocatus Edwards, in charge of the Kigoma region Roots & Shoots program, I must thank you for introducing me to the teachers and students of the Sokoine Primary School, where the students are protecting their forest and learning about medicinal plants. And Smita Dharsi, you generously shared your experiences at that school, teaching the children to draw those plants, providing them with their very first computers. You told me that when they first received them, they carried them as a mother cradles her infant, so precious were they.
Dr. Mark Plotkin, you have done so much to help protect the Latin American indigenous people and their forests, and you helped me so generously with information and photos for the chapter on the use of plants for healing. We have known each other a long time—sad that we have only met and talked in hotels when it is our passion for the forest that brought us together in the first place. You have taught me so much about the evil theft of medicinal plants, and you have fought so hard to address this wrong.
And Vandana Shiva, too, is a tireless crusader on this issue. Why have we never met, Vandana? But when we talk on the telephone, it is as though we are old friends—and that is how I feel, having heard so much about your life and work. I have such admiration for all you have done and am so grateful for the help you offered me for this book.
Other people provided wonderful material for the chapter about medicinal plants. Dr. Alison Jolly, it seems that you always have stories about everything I ask you about! We have known each other for so many, many years and become such friends. This time you told me about the rosy periwinkle. And Terrence Brown, my Native American friend Chitcus, you have shared so much information about the healing plants, for you are a medicine man and use the knowledge you acquired from your mother, herself a skilled medicine woman. What amazing times we have shared, what stories you have told me about the history and culture of your Karuk people.
Dr. Mike Huffman, another old friend, how fortunate that you decided to study the ways in which chimpanzees, and other animals, use medicinal plants. Thank you so much for so freely sharing your findings and photos.
I also want to thank Michael Crook, who was born in China and loves the old traditions and the history of places. We have known each other since my friend Greg MacIsaac invited me to China seventeen years ago to visit the school (Western Academy of Beijing) where you both teach. Michael, you have taught me most of what I know about how a Westerner should behave in China, introduced me to key people, and with Greg served on the board of JGI-China since it began. It was you who organized the visit to Jane Tsao’s organic farm and told me about the famous herbalists of long ago, whose faded pictures were pinned to the wall of the old foresters’ hut in the woods.
Now, in my mind’s happy wandering, I am visiting botanical gardens and thinking of the extraordinarily talented and passionate people working there. Carlos Magdalena, master horticulturist of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, I know about your childhood in Spain and your botanical exploits around the world. You have shared with me many stories of plant rescue. Your enthusiasm brings those stories to life, and I am so very grateful.
Dr. Lourdes Rico Arce—or Lulú, as you like to be called—I have to thank you so much for the time you spent taking me around Kew’s Herbarium, showing me some of the type specimens sent back by those crazy plant hunters. It brought back memories of Gombe in the early days when Vanne was helping me with the collection of chimpanzee food plants. I told you how we had sent them to our great friend Dr. Bernard Verdcourt at the Coryndon Museum herbarium—and how calmly he had accepted and identified those mildewed specimens. It turned out that he was a great friend of yours, too. He would have loved this book.
I had a wonderful time when I visited the Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst Place, Kew’s sister organization. Dr. Tim Pearce spared no pains and gave up the best part of his day to show me around that amazing place, explaining all the processes that the seeds go through after arriving from the field. I feel so grateful to you, Tim, for teaching me so much. And that day I also met Wolfgang Stuppy. You have been more than generous, sharing information and contributing the stunning photographs of seeds in this book. Some of them are like images from a fantasy world. They seem unreal, and you have captured all this with your camera. I treasure the short time we spent together and look forward to seeing you again when we celebrate the publication of Seeds of Hope.
Dr. Dawn Kemp, you were so gracious when I visited the Chelsea Physic Garden on a cold January day with my sister, Judy, and Mary Lewis. I could sense your love for the place when you showed us the old rare books and talked of the history of the wonderful old institution. You showed us around the garden and the greenhouses, giving up a lot of precious time. Thank you, Mary, for suggesting that this visit would provide rich material for my book—how right you were. And I want to thank David Lorraine also. You not only drove us to the Chelsea Physic Garden but, together with Mary, organized my trip to Cambodia, during which we went to see the incredible temples of Angkor Wat. Indeed, you took the photograph that appears in this book.
A very special thank-you to two of my best friends, Rick Asselta and his wife, Nelly. You welcomed me to your home in Puerto Rico, you took me to the wonderful botanical gardens and introduced me to the director, and organized a meeting at the International Institute of Tropical Forestry, where I met Frank Wadsworth and heard about his dream to save Puerto Rico’s endangered trees—with which some of our R&S students are now involved. At ninety years of age, Frank has not given up the fight—people like this inspire me and help me to keep going.
Rick also took me to visit an organic, shade-grown coffee farm up in the hills, where we met the farmer, resplendent in his elegantly cut jacket made from a coffee sack! I could write a whole book about our relationship, for it goes back to the very start of Roots & Shoots in America. You tailored a wonderful relationship with Western Connecticut State University, and now you are coordinating the R&S program throughout Latin America.
Now I come to Dr. Rogier van Vugt, of Leiden Botanical Garden. You have been unbelievably helpful—sending me the story of the water lobelia and other stories about endangered plants, and reading several chapters and helping to check facts. And not only did you provide photographs to go with the stories but you actually took some especially for this book. It seems I have known you forever—yet we only met that one time when you gave me the little bunch of special flowers. And I wished there had been time to sit down and talk about the things we both love. Instead we have had to make do with e-mails and the occasional telephone call.
Dr. Sarah Sallon, of Hadassah Medical Organization in Jerusalem: you and Dr. Elaine Solowey, from Kibbutz Ketura, nurtured and loved that two-thousand-year-old date palm seed. You recorded the magical appearance of the little shoot, then watched Methuselah slowly grow to maturity. And you brought all this to life when you visited me in Bournemouth and left me with such rich memories. Thank you so very much.
Nellie Sugii, tissue-culture expert, your work is almost magical, coaxing new life and energy into lethargic, reluctant seeds and seedlings. You helped with my last book—and lo and behold, you turn up again, playing a crucial role in the almost-unbelievable story of Cooke’s koki‘o. This time you have not only shared scientific facts but also given away one of the secrets of your success—your love of the plants you work with.
I met Paul Scannell for the first time in the Governor’s House in Melbourne, Australia. Paul, your love of orchids is matched by the love you have for the environment where they grow, the boxwoods. And your love for the Aboriginal people, and for your family. You have been unfailingly helpful to me right from the start—thank you.
And another very special thank-you to journalist, photographer, and friend Alan Bartels. You introduced me to the very beautiful blowout penstemon and your enthusiasm is contagious. You also introduced me to Bruce and Sue Ann Switzer and arranged for me to stay overnight at their ranch, to see the prairie chickens. And over breakfast the next morning their daughter, Sarah, explained how they are gradually, together with neighboring ranchers, restoring the original prairie in the area. It is a very successful project, about which I hope to write more later. Before we left, you also introduced me to a blowout-penstemon seedling, part of a project involving the Roots & Shoots group you started. To give and receive energy, I kissed it—the plant, not the children (although they give me energy too)—and I have just received your letter saying it is planted out in a special place on the Switzer Ranch.
Now let me thank Stewart Henchie for sharing information about the reintroduction of the interrupted brome in the United Kingdom. And David Aplin, I am very grateful for all that you told me about the brome of the Ardennes and the fascinating sequence of events that led to saving this little grass from certain extinction.
Joshua Kaiser of Rishi Tea, not only did you and your staff share information with me but I was invited to your offices and given a chance to talk with all your staff. And you made a special tea to benefit JGI. Thank you so very much.
And thank you also to Debra Music and Joe Whinney of Theo Chocolate. You answered all our questions and provided us with many wonderful photographs. And Joe, you taught me so much about the growing of cacao and the work you are doing to improve the lives of the local villagers—including in the politically unstable DRC, one of the areas where JGI is working to protect the forest.
I’m not sure quite whom to thank when it comes to our JGI coffee-growing project in Tanzania. It all started when Green Mountain Coffee Roasters came to test the quality of the beans. Our TACARE team, under the leadership of Emmanuel Mtiti, worked with the coffee growers and encouraged the development of the cooperative. Mtiti and Mary Mavanza, thank you both for enabling me to visit the project on several occasions.
I am, of course, overwhelmed by the fact that Christian Hanak, known as a rose author—or “rose poet,” as he calls himself—and Guillaume Didier, a rose breeder, created, between them, the Jane Goodall rose. You arranged for me to “baptize” it, closely collaborating with David LeFranc and Jeroen Haijtink of JGI-France, and I was so terribly grateful for all that happened on that so-special day. As a bonus, we visited the gardens of Versailles, where the director presented me with a pair of secateurs (pruning shears)—for, he said, you will need them to prune your rose. And these were no ordinary secateurs—each handle was inset with polished wood taken from an ancient oak, a much-loved tree that had blown down in a terrible storm. It had originally been planted, along with many others, for Marie Antoinette in 1786. Most of the tree was left to lie where it fell, a historical monument. But some of the wood had been harvested and used, sparingly, for very special purposes. What a gift!
Whenever I think of the gardens that have been planted on the Lakota Pine Ridge Reservation, I am deeply moved, and I have the utmost admiration for Jason Schoch and Patricia Hammond, who, against all odds, have succeeded. You have involved not only the Roots & Shoots children but their parents and a number of the elders. You are bringing back new understanding of the plants that are part of the food and medicine culture of the people. And this, along with the many other projects you have started, is bringing new hope to the reservation. I thank you so very much for providing me with all the information I needed for the book and the inspiration I get from your work.
Indeed, gardens are good for the spirit. Thank you, Revocatus Edwards, Shadrack Meshach, and Japhet Jonas, for giving me the facts about the gardens in the Lugufu refugee camp. And I am grateful, also, to Mary Raphaely, coordinator for the Natural Growth Project, for checking the facts in my story about the torture victims and making corrections and suggestions.
And thank you, too, Bill Wallauer and Kristin Mosher, for helping us with photos of your garden—both before and after you transformed it into a miniparadise for wildlife.
Gary Zeller, as always you are involved in all manner of “eco-innovations.” Thank you so much for sharing information about “Garden Up.”
John Seed. My word! You have contributed hugely to this book. I close my eyes now and I am back, in my imagination, sitting with you on the grass under a tree in Sydney. And you are telling me about how you got involved in activism and the many successful campaigns you have led. As we talked about the urgent need to protect our forests, there was a seagull listening to us, not knowing about the world we are trying to save. His world needs help too, desperately. But fortunately for him, he does not know about that either.
I learned about Richard St. Barbe Baker from Lord Eden. John, I am so grateful to you for giving me a copy of My Life, My Trees, one of the many books he wrote. From it I learned so much about the history of forest protection. Why have we not all heard of this extraordinary man? I thought it was just ignorant me—not true. I have asked many, many people if they knew about Baker—almost nobody did. I am amazed by his life and his accomplishments, and plan to share some of this in our blog.
Our efforts to protect the forests to the south of Gombe in Tanzania, described in chapter 17, are proving extremely successful, thanks to the tireless work of our team on the ground under the overall direction of Emmanuel Mtiti. Mtiti, you have been with us since our TACARE program began, you and Aristides Kashula and Mary Mavanza, and I cannot begin to thank you for all you have done for me and all I have learned from you.
We are really grateful for funding from the EU, USAID, and the Norwegian government, which is helping us to restore and protect a total area of more than 4,600 square miles, which encompasses the home of almost half of Tanzania’s remaining chimpanzees. And across the lake, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or the DRC, we are involved in protecting 103,125 square miles of prime chimpanzee habitat.
Special thanks to Dario Merlo, executive director of JGI-DRC, and all our staff for doing such a remarkable job there despite the political instability. I am really grateful to the Arcus Foundation for your support, and to Jane Lawton of JGI-Canada for making a successful application to CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency) for additional funding. Other JGIs have helped with our forest programs—Diederik Visser from the Netherlands, David Lefranc and Jeroen Haijtink from France, Ferran Guallar from Spain.
Dr. Lilian Pintea, JGI’s vice president for conservation science, I am so very happy that you joined our team. By using the most up-to-date GIS, GPS, and satellite-imagery technology you are mapping those areas where JGI is working so that government agencies and villagers can determine which areas should be set aside for conservation. Much of this work is made possible thanks to the generosity and support we have had from Jack Dangermond, founder and president of Esri. And it is not just the contributions from your company but your personal commitment and friendship for which I am so very grateful. You even agreed to join our JGI board.
Chuck Herring, you opened the doors of DigitalGlobe to Lilian back in 2005. And Chuck Chaapel, I know you have spent hours and hours during weekends and at night pre-processing thousands of images for JGI forest projects all around Africa. I am overwhelmed by your contribution, and it was wonderful to meet you both and actually see some of the extraordinary work that is going on at Digital-Globe. As I told you, I don’t pretend to understand the sophisticated technology, but I certainly understand how it helps us in the field.
And Rebecca Moore, of Google Earth Outreach program, you have been a staunch supporter ever since we first met and you told me how you had used satellite imagery to show your local community that plans to log a pristine forest would endanger the community’s children, since helicopters carrying huge tree trunks would have to fly right over the school. And this saved the forest. I was so impressed—and from there you have gone on to give us huge support. Google Earth, thanks to your efforts, is providing the Android smartphone tablets and cloud technology to help local communities monitor their forests around Gombe and Masito-Ugalla in Tanzania. I value our friendship, too.
I learned a great deal about REDD+ and carbon trading from Jeff Horowitz, founder of Avoided Deforestation Partners. Jeff, your tireless efforts on behalf of saving our forests are astounding, and it was thanks to you that I was able to take my message to a number of international conferences, including the climate conferences at Copenhagen, Cancún, Durban, and, lastly, Rio+20. Disappointing outcomes overall, but with a good deal of positive momentum for our efforts to save forests.
It would indeed be remiss if I did not express gratitude to government agencies and officials, particularly in departments of Natural Resources, National Parks, and Forest Reserves, in Tanzania, Uganda, DRC, and the Republic of the Congo, for their cooperation and support for our various JGI projects, including our efforts to protect forests and biodiversity and to encourage sustainable farming in communities around wilderness areas.
I shall never forget meeting the Survivor tree, the Callery pear who survived the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. I also met Bram Gunther, Ron Vega, and Richie Cabo on that special day, three people who helped her live. It was an intensely emotional time, and I thank you, all three, for sharing your amazing stories and spending time with us that day. And, too, for helping us get the photos we needed for the book. And thank you, Vickie Karp, director of Public Affairs, NYC Parks & Recreation, for I know how hard you worked behind the scenes to help us get in touch with all the people involved.
Now comes the hardest part of these acknowledgments, for I must thank all the wonderful people who shared stories that are not in the book. I want to tell you how very much I appreciated all of you who answered our e-mails and shared information about your work. I have to be honest—I got carried away doing research for this book, utterly fascinated by all that I was learning. I wanted to write about all of it—alas, as with my last book about endangered animals, this one was getting way too long. Cuts—many cuts—had to be made.
The good news is that the cut material will appear on my blog on the janegoodall.org/seedsofhope website. And I am assured that it will be an exciting and interactive blog—a place where I can tell so many other wonderful stories and where everyone can share their own comments and updates about the kingdom of the plants.
When I met Dr. Robert Robichaux, I knew there could never be a more passionate advocate for the flora of Hawaii. I had an unexpected free evening during a 2011 tour, and Rob joined me for a picnic supper in my hotel room somewhere in California. You had already shared with me details of the successful program to restore the beautiful Mauna Loa silverswords. (I wrote about it in Hope for Animals and Their World.) Now you have told me about another of Hawaii’s most critically endangered plants, the stunningly beautiful lobelia—Clermontia peleana. The story is ready for my blog.
Valente Souza, I want to thank you for sharing information about your amazing, ongoing efforts to reforest forty thousand hectares (one hundred thousand acres) of forest in the western mountains around Mexico City. And for involving Roots & Shoots in the program. You also sent me a marvelous story about a lawyer who went to defend some old trees and won the case. People will love that tale!
Rick Asselta, you told me how the students and faculty of all eleven campuses of the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, under the leadership of Myraida Anderson and her partner, Alejandro, have organized the biggest tree-planting program in the country’s history—64,000 trees are already planted by families around the country with a goal of having 12.2 million trees planted by the end of 2012. And now some of our Roots & Shoots members are helping with this effort. I am really looking forward to sharing this story.
So many people, friends, and colleagues have contributed by telling me about projects they feel would add value to the book. Many of them are written up and ready to be posted on my blog as soon as it opens. At this point in time I just want to send all of you a really big thank-you.
Polly Cevallos, you wrote to so many botanists who are doing fascinating work, telling them about my book—and you introduced me to many of them also, during my visits to Australia. Annette Debenham of JGI-Australia, you too have contacted your friends—one of them, Jenny Stackhouse, has sent me a list of people doing marvelous things, and I really look forward to contacting some of them.
Dr. Jim Begley, of the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority, is involved in a project to restore the Australian grasslands in Victoria. It is a wonderful program, as is the Grassy Groundcover Research Project of Dr. Paul Gibson-Roy, also in Australia. And on the other side of the world, Dr. Mike Forsberg is working on protection and restoration of the Great Plains ecosystem. And when we post all that material on the restoration of the world’s grasslands, I so look forward, Matilda Essig, to sharing some of your exquisite artwork depicting the prairie grasses. I was so grateful that you offered to contribute some to this book.
Thank you, Mark Fountain, for telling me about the fascinating and successful efforts to save the Davies’ waxflower (Phebalium daviesii) in Tasmania.
Ferran Guallar, of JGI-Spain, introduced me to his friend Dr. Martí Boada, and Sònia Sànchez, a member of his group, told me of a really interesting project they are doing—restoring genetic strains of apples in Spain. I look forward to learning more about that.
And Dr. Rod Morris sent me some terrific stories about endangered trees, including the Sophora toromiro on Easter Island. I was especially pleased to hear that you believe that it may indeed have been the extinction of the dodo that prevented the germination of the forest tree, Tambolo coque. (An ingenious theory that someone debunked.)
I first knew Alex Chepstow-Lusty as a student at Gombe. You told me an extraordinary detective story: as a result of analyzing a sediment core that you took from a small lake in Peru—painstaking work counting pollen grains and identifying the plants that had produced them all those years ago—you were able to piece together the story of how llama dung enabled the Inca to grow corn at a higher altitude than had been possible before. The whole story is absolutely fascinating and I am dying to share it on our blog.
Robert Eden—I am particularly saddened that I could not include the amazing story of how you gradually built up your organic vineyard in France, the wonderful benefits of buildings made with hemp bricks, the use of a horse rather than a tractor for plowing, and all the other fascinating aspects. Best of all is the fabulous organic wine that you produce. I have so much to thank you for, over and above information to help this book, such as your taking on, pro bono, the huge task of incorporating JGI-Global as a bona fide NGO.
Will Raap, you were so very generous with your time and gave us fascinating information about your wonderful Intervale community garden project in Vermont. People will definitely benefit from reading about it on our blog.
A big disappointment—it simply was not possible to include all the Roots & Shoots projects that involve gardens, tree planting, habitat restoration, and so on. I hope we can establish a special section of our blog for all this information. So many groups sent information that I cannot thank you all here. But I do want to give special thanks to Corinne Bowman, Allison Deines, Revocatus Edwards, Renée Gunther, Jennifer Hill, Japhet Jonas, Alicia Kennedy, Nsaa-Iya Kihunrwa, Dan Miller, Erasto Nvjiko, Shawn Sweeney, and Mike and Karen Weddle.
Tara Golshan and Jasmina Marcheva—you put together wonderful projects from across the United Kingdom, many of them inspired by your workshops. And special thanks to Federico Bogdanowicz. Fede, you invented the marvelous “Professor Roots,” complete with magnifying glass, toilet-roll binoculars, and bush outfit. And, in this role, you have got hundreds of children interested in nature.
All around the world I have had help with this book from all twenty-eight JGI offices. But some people have been especially helpful in organizing visits to botanical gardens, organic farms, and so on during the few days I was able to be in each country. In Singapore our executive director, Beng Chiak, and board member Shawn Lum arranged for me to visit the Bukit Panjang Community Garden, and came with me to the botanical gardens to photograph my Jane Goodall orchid. In Taiwan, executive director Kelly Kok masterminded the visit to the river-cleaning project. In China, executive director Lei Chen Wong helped to organize my visit to the organic farm. And Ilke Pedersen-Beyst told me the wonderful story about getting married inside a hollow oak, and provided the photo. Two people who helped hugely with acquiring information and contacting botanists are Rob Sassor and John Trybus. Much gratitude to all of you.
Joseph Vengersammy, of First in Service Travel—oh my goodness—without your help I could never have gotten to all the places mentioned in the book nor met all the people. You have been fantastic in your ability to somehow make impossible schedules work. We have woken you in the middle of the night when flights were suddenly canceled on the other side of the globe—and sometimes you fixed problems before we even knew that they existed. You are wonderful, and I am so very grateful.
It would have been impossible to gather together all the photos we used to illustrate this book without the work of Christin Jones. Christin, you had to track down photographers and pester them to sign release forms, and search through the Internet for historic images. You have done a stellar job, as you did for the last book, and we are very grateful indeed.
And Mary Paris—you have worked miracles to find some of the early photos of me from the archives. And to enhance the resolution of old pictures, and otherwise get pictures ready for publication. Thank you so much.
Jolie Novak, thank you for jumping in at the last minute and helping us secure and prepare our missing photos. Your generosity and expertise were invaluable.
Then, of course, there are all the photographers themselves who have generously shared their work, waiving fees, searching out their best. A special thanks to Roy Borghouts—you took a whole series of photos when we were searching for an image for the cover, though unfortunately none was selected in the end. I was so sorry about that, but your time was not wasted, for your photos will be used for publicity and on the blog. And Patrick van Veen, you also took photos for the book—thank you so much.
We want to thank you, Dr. Mark Nesbitt, for your very many helpful suggestions on the text. And our thanks also to Dr. Will McClatchey for reading through one of the chapters. You both offered important and thoughtful comments. In some cases editorial decisions were made that omitted some of your suggestions, but we are deeply appreciative and grateful to both of you for your willingness to help with this project.
Rhett Butler, thank you so much for looking through our material about saving forests and habitats. And I do look forward to becoming involved in your excellent website mongabay.com. Dr. Stephen Gliessman, thank you for reviewing our agriculture chapters and providing information about agroecology—it deserves a whole chapter, really. And Christian Ziegler, we are grateful for your kind support and your comments on the chapter about orchids.
Sherri Damlo and Dave Valencia, you have both worked so hard on checking citations and facts throughout the book. Your dedication and attention to details were invaluable. Thank you so very much.
Michael Pollan, I was so absolutely delighted when I heard that you had agreed to write a foreword for this book. I know that this is not an easy task, having been asked to write a good many myself, so I am really terribly grateful. I have so enjoyed and benefited from reading your own books and articles. I remember you saying that to look at the world from the points of view of other species “is a cure for the disease of human self-importance.” How apt! And your suggestion that we should see things from “a plant’s eye view” seems particularly appropriate for this book.
Tom Mangelsen, you have introduced me to several of America’s ecosystems with their varied plants and trees—the prairies, the sandhills, the badlands, and the various environments of Yellowstone National Park. You shared your love for the old cottonwood trees and the aspens. Together we have anguished over the impacts on the environment of intensive agriculture. The center pivots pumping up water from ever deeper under the ground, lowering the water table. The draining of wetlands and the leaching of pollutants into the Platte River, already much diminished, the underlying Ogallala Aquifer shrunk and polluted. Over and above this you invited Gail and me to hide away for a couple of days in your cabin to work on this book in between glorious mornings and evenings with the sandhill cranes and snow geese. And, finally, you have always been so generous in letting us use your fabulous photographs. Thank you, thank you.
And huge thanks also to my wonderful friend Michael Aisner for housing and supporting us through the final push to organize our photos in Boulder. I can think of no better place for such intense work than your extraordinary house. The day we arrived, you showed us the smashed-open door of your car, and the tiny cardboard box that had been inside, now neatly slit open by a black bear. He had gone to all that trouble merely for a couple of lollipops!!!! And many, many thanks to Jeff Orlowski, who printed out countless pictures. Right up to the last minute, Jeff, you helped us during that marathon photo session. And thank you, Chef Linda Hampsten—you volunteered to nurture us at that time with your delicious organic cooking. Just as you did when I was finalizing Harvest for Hope—also at Michael’s house.
James and “Sue 2” Knowles—I am thinking now of the many days I have spent in the Roger Smith Hotel in New York. Over the years I have worked on three different books in your hotel, including this one. Your generosity is deeply appreciated—I have accomplished so much, spoken with so many plant people, and written so many words in the familiar and friendly suites you spoil me with. I have stayed with you so many times that it truly feels like home.
Many thanks to our excellent literary agent, Debra Goldstein, with DeFiore and Company, who believed in this book from the start, who has represented us so strongly, and who has been such a friend, guide, and wise advisor throughout this process. Nona Gandelman—you have been part of the JGI for so long now and you do such a great job as my agent for all my books, helping me to get the best possible deals and finding publishers for editions in various countries. Added to which you brought delicious sustenance—and a bottle of Scotch—when Gail and I were working on the book in Colorado.
Our thanks to Helen Atsma, our extraordinary editor at Grand Central Publishing, who carefully guided this book and lovingly pushed us to make it better. Thank you to Kirsten Reach and Allyson Rudolph, Helen’s assistants, who helped us with so many aspects of getting this book published. And a special thanks to Grand Central’s Executive Vice President and Publisher, Jamie Raab. This is the fourth book you have published for me, and I know it has not been easy for you—I get too enthusiastic, carried away, wanting to fill more and more pages, and you are so patient. This book, more than others, might have daunted any publisher. Thank you so, so much for your faith in me—it is wonderful to know you also as a friend.
Mary Lewis, Vice President for Outreach, began working with me in 1991 when she was still employed by Conoco. She joined JGI full-time in 1995, organizing my tours, ensuring that the people I need to see are fitted into the too-busy schedules. She knows everyone and is invaluable in linking people together—a lot of information for this book was acquired in this way. Truly, Mary, without you helping to organize my life, in addition to helping with the organization of JGI, this book might still be unfinished. Added to that, I could not have a more wonderful friend—kind, generous, and nurturing, welcoming me to the little haven of your house in London when I arrive, exhausted from some crazy tour, and inviting colleagues and potential donors to wonderful home-cooked meals.
Susana Name, who heads up our Office of the Founder (OOF) and works with Mary on my tours, it has been wonderful having you with me on tour, especially when I am in Latin America, not only organizing the events and helping me to meet the plant people but translating—you are my “Spanish voice.” And you and your family—Alex, Christian, and Simba the dog—also welcome me into your home.
Dr. Anthony Collins—Tony to me, Anton to many—Director of Baboon Research at Gombe, I am especially thankful for all that you have done for me: helping answer many questions about medicinal plants, organizing my visits to the villages around Gombe to visit the coffee program and the traditional healers. Your knowledge about the local trees and plants is quite extraordinary, your wisdom regarding the local people profound. One special memory is when we bumped our way from Kigoma to Mpanda, with Mtiti and some of the TACARE team, so that I could see firsthand the beautiful forest that we are helping to protect. Together we marveled at a magical waterfall and visited a sacred tree where people still leave gifts. For your support and friendship over so many years, I do so thank you.
Almost at the end now. Judy, or “Jiff,” as I named you when we were children, what a marvelous sister you are. I can only get down to serious writing when I am at home in The Birches—and I have so little time there, but thanks to you, I have been able to immerse myself in getting this book done because you spoiled me, nurtured me, provided my body with the fuel it needed. Delicious meals, fires in the winter. Thank you, thank you. You, with Pip and her two boys, are keeping alive the spirit of the house that so nurtured our childhoods. And—so very important—there are always dogs, rescued dogs. During my walks with Astro, and more recently Charlie, I did much of the thinking that went into the writing of this book.
Gail Hudson, coauthor, collaborator, and friend—what a true joy it has been to work with you. How endlessly patient and tactful you have been, trying to curtail my passion for writing ever more and more, including ever more photos. Without your input I doubt Grand Central would have agreed to publish the book, so long and unwieldy it would have been. And though we have not agreed on everything, when there was a particular story I really wanted to include, and you suggested cutting, I at once saw why—and then rewrote the piece so that you would say, “Oh, now I see why this is so important!” There is no one else in the world with whom I would want to collaborate. Thus, together, we have given birth to yet another book.
And finally—yes, I have really come to the end!—I want to acknowledge the enormous debt that I owe to the green spirits of the plants themselves. I hope that I and all who have helped with this book have done them justice. We want to celebrate the beauty, complexity, and mystery of their world. That we may save it before it is too late.