Jan. 24, 2006 — British scientist Jane Goodall, who has achieved international recognition for her work with African primates, was recently given a UNESCO honor for her fight to protect humankind's nearest animal cousins.

The head of the Paris-based U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Koichiro Matsuura, said UNESCO's 60th Anniversary Medal went to Goodall, 71, for her activism, her contribution to science "and to the survival of the human being and its closest species."

Goodall thanked teams working for her in 90 countries as she took the award, saying: "This medal will in a way help all of them in the battle... to make the world a better place."

The British primatologist is considered one of the 20th century's leading scientists for her work with chimpanzees in the Gombe reserve in Tanzania, and the discoveries she made observing them and their social behavior.

Although she now spends most of the year traveling the globe campaigning for conservation, she still occasionally returns to the reserve to see the chimps, some of which she has developed close bonds with.

In 1977, she created the Jane Goodall Institute to manage a network of centers in Africa that care for chimpanzees that have survived poachers.

She also instigated the ChimpanZoo program to improve the lives of captive primates and another program, Roots and Shoots, to educate children about environmental issues.

After the UNESCO ceremony, Goodall was received by French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, who bestowed her with a Legion of Honor.

Find out more about Jane Goodall's Legion of Honor.