Taiwan’s transportation ministry has awarded primatologist and environmentalist Jane Goodall for her contribution to ecological conservation. The award was presented by transportation minister Yeh Kuang-shih on Thursday at the Tainan Jacana Ecological Park.
It was Goodall’s third visit to the park. Taiwan’s high speed rail bureau invited Goodall to speak at a training program on environmental education. The bureau said Goodall has spoken internationally on the success of reviving the pheasant-tailed jacana in Taiwan.
The bureau said the jacana was listed as an endangered species back when only 50 of the birds were still remaining more than 10 years ago. The bird could only be found in Tainan in southern Taiwan then. Today 600 of the birds can be found islandwide with 250 of them dwelling in the Tainan jacana park.