Conservation Heroes Gallery
Meet the coolest people on Earth who spend their lives saving animals and protecting nature! These heroes come from all over the world and do amazing things to help our planet.
Super Cool Fact!
Guess what? Almost HALF of the world's best conservation groups were started by kids under 18! That means you could start saving the world right now - you don't have to wait until you're a grown-up!
Jane Goodall
Tanzania, Africa
Childhood Dream: Jane loved animals so much that she slept with a toy chimpanzee every night and dreamed of living in Africa with wild animals.
Making It Real: When she was 26, she went to Tanzania and started studying chimpanzees in the wild - something no one had really done before!
Amazing Discovery: She discovered that chimps use tools, have emotions, and are a lot like humans. This changed how we think about animals forever!
"What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make."
Wangari Maathai
Kenya, Africa
Growing Up: Wangari grew up in Kenya and saw how cutting down trees hurt the environment and made life harder for people.
Tree Power: She started the Green Belt Movement and helped plant over 51 MILLION trees across Africa! That's like planting a forest bigger than some countries!
Super Award: She won the Nobel Peace Prize for her environmental work - one of the biggest awards in the world!
"It's the little things citizens do. That's what will make the difference."
Greta Thunberg
Sweden
Starting Young: When Greta was just 15 years old, she started skipping school on Fridays to protest climate change outside the Swedish parliament.
Going Global: Her solo protest inspired millions of students worldwide to join 'Fridays for Future' climate strikes!
Making Waves: She's spoken at the United Nations and met with world leaders, proving that kids can change the world!
Rachel Carson
United States
Nature Writer: Rachel loved writing about nature and the ocean. She became a marine biologist and wrote beautiful books about the sea.
Game-Changing Book: Her book 'Silent Spring' warned people about dangerous pesticides that were killing birds and other animals.
Huge Impact: Her work led to banning harmful chemicals and helped start the modern environmental movement!
Sylvia Earle
United States
Ocean Explorer: Sylvia fell in love with the ocean when she was just 3 years old after being knocked over by a wave at the beach!
Deep Sea Adventures: She's spent over 7,000 hours underwater (that's almost a full year!) studying ocean life and has led over 100 expeditions.
Record Breaker: She once walked on the ocean floor at a depth of 1,250 feet - deeper than anyone had ever walked before!
David Attenborough
United Kingdom
Collecting Fossils: As a kid, David collected fossils and newts, and dreamed of traveling the world to see amazing animals.
TV Star: He's made incredible nature documentaries for over 70 years, showing people the wonders of wildlife on every continent!
Inspiring Millions: His shows like 'Planet Earth' and 'Blue Planet' have inspired millions of people to care about nature and conservation.
You Can Be a Hero Too!
- •Learn about animals and their habitats
- •Reduce, reuse, and recycle to protect the environment
- •Plant trees and create wildlife-friendly gardens
- •Share what you learn with friends and family