Statement by Deputy Director for Climate and Environment Jane Lubchenco and Assistant Director for Biodiversity and Conservation Sciences Heather Tallis on the Passing of Thomas E. Lovejoy III and Edward O. Wilson
We mourn the passing of two scientific pioneers and global champions of biodiversity, E. O. Wilson and Tom Lovejoy. Each provided keen scientific insights into the factors that shape the extraordinary diversity of life in ecosystems across our planet. Both became alarmed by the precipitous decline in numbers of species and habitats. Understanding the consequences of that loss – for people and for nature – each informed and inspired countless others with their science, personal diplomacy, eloquent writings, and public speaking.
Ed Wilson’s scientific world was anchored in his studies of ants – which he regarded as among “the little things that run the world.” Drawing on his keen observations of their behavior and his knowledge of natural history, he made pioneering discovery after discovery about ant communication, social organization, ecology, and evolution. Those insights led to broad generalizations about nature, as well as human responsibilities for stewardship of the natural world. His collaborations on models (with R. H. MacArthur) and experiments (with D. Simberloff) on the dynamics of species colonizing islands provided the theoretical underpinnings of early methods for planning systematic conservation. Especially recently, he was tireless in his advocacy for biodiversity – speaking, writing, dreaming, and scheming of bold plans to save nature, and thus ourselves.
Tom Lovejoy’s scientific work was initially focused on birds and the Amazon rainforest. His own natural history observations and the work of Ed Wilson and collaborators on island biogeography led Tom to propose that fragmentation of forests by logging was affecting the diversity of species therein. In the late 1970s, working with Brazilian colleagues, he created forest fragments ranging from 2.5 to 247 acres and quantified the subsequent changes in biodiversity – a long-term ecological experiment that continues to this day and has produced more than 750 scientific papers containing fundamental insights about ecosystems. Tom understood that actions to save biodiversity were often influenced by personal experiences with nature, so he began bringing influential politicians, business people, and conservationists to the rainforests near his experiments just outside Manaus, Brazil, so they could see, feel, smell, hear, and experience a rainforest.
Jane was fortunate to work with both Ed and Tom for five decades, collaborating on scientific assessments, publications, amicus briefs, and public awareness. Inspired by both, Heather applied and evolved their theories and findings in field research, conservation planning, and policy design.
So much of today’s work on biodiversity stands on the shoulders of scientists like Ed Wilson and Tom Lovejoy, including the scientific underpinnings of the Biden-Harris Administration’s America the Beautiful initiative and much of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s global biodiversity framework that is being negotiated in the year ahead. But, in their eyes, the ambitions of nations and the conservation community were never high enough. With the passing of these scientific pioneers, we are called to take up their mantle — by pushing farther, revering nature, better understanding its complexities and wonders, and seeing nature as relevant to every aspect of our lives.
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