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Two titans of ecology died over the holidays, but their conservation legacy lives on in the optimism of a new generation of scientists and advocates. Edward O. Wilson and Thomas Lovejoy coined the term "biological diversity," later shortened to "biodiversity."
Lovejoy focused his research on the Amazon rainforest and the growing threat of climate change, hosting policymakers and celebrities at his research camp in Brazil, as well as in Washington. Wilson was an expert on insects who later in life led the call to protect 50 percent of the planet in order to prevent mass extinction.
Science journalists including Elizabeth Kolbert and Andrew Revkin published thoughtful tributes to Wilson and Lovejoy, not just looking back at their careers but also forwards at the next generation of scientists advancing their legacy.
In 2020, Wilson's Half Earth Project named Ricardo Guta its first Half Earth Scholar. Guta, who was born in Mozambique, studies insect biodiversity at Gorongosa National Park. A network of institutions have also pledged to create an endowed fellowship in Lovejoy's name to study biodiversity and sustain Lovejoy's camp in the Amazon.
America’s conservation atlas: your turn
Wilson's call to quickly protect more lands and waters is the cornerstone of the 30x30 goal adopted by President Biden in his America the Beautiful initiative. On Monday, the Interior Department announced a series of public listening sessions on the forthcoming American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas, which will track protected lands in the U.S. The public can also submit comments through March 4th.
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The [Colorado] river is so altered and contained now, I call it a big canal. This isn’t the river we knew. It used to be just wild. Where I swam, the water was blue and it was clean. It was our playground. … I remember it as a great blue lagoon.”
