ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 13 (UPI) -- Primatologist Jane Goodall will receive France's most prestigious honor, the Jane Goodall Institute has announced.
Goodall will be honored as an Officier de l'Ordre de la Légion d'Honneur for her work with primates and on behalf of conservation and education.
The Jane Goodall Institute operates conservation programs in partnership with local communities in eastern and central Africa on projects including tree nurseries, sustainable agriculture and agroforestry, and small-loan programs for women. It also operates the global Roots & Shoots education program for young students, and helps care for orphaned chimpanzees in two African sanctuaries.
Goodall -- who was appointed a U.N. Messenger of Peace in 2002 by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan -- will receive the Legion of Honor award on Jan. 17 in a private ceremony with French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin in Paris.
The Légion d'Honneur was established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802. Past recipients include oceanographer and environmentalist Jacques Cousteau and anti-Holocaust and human rights activist Elie Wiesel.
