The Ape Alliance secretariat extends heartfelt sympathies to the family and friends of Prof Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Laureate and environmental visionary, who lost her battle with cancer yesterday in Nairobi, Kenya. Among her many leadership roles, she was a roving Ambassador for the Congo Basin.   She understood that the tree-planting for which she was famous is necessary to rebuild eco-systems, but that it is better not to destroy natural forests in the first place; moreover she agreed with us that protecting animals such as primates and elephants – seed dispersal agents who are the natural ‘gardeners of the forest’ – was a necessary part of managing forests sustainably.   Wangari Maathai will be greatly missed, but her legacy – The Green Belt Movement - lives on and her example will continue to inspire for generations to come.

Ian Redmond, Chairman, Ape Alliance.

See Prof Wangari Maathai address world leaders and gathered delegates at the UN Climate talks in Copenhagen, Dec'09