The Last Word On Nothing

Just before the turn of the new year, E.O. Wilson and Tom Lovejoy, two of the world’s most celebrated biologists, passed away within a day of each other. That they left the world together felt fitting, given the extraordinary interplay between their work. It was Wilson, after all, who, in a series of mad, ingenious experiments on Floridian islets, proved some of the fundamental rules of island biogeography — namely, that small islands support fewer species than large ones, and are more likely to host extinction events. And it was Lovejoy who applied those rules in a terrestrial context through his brilliant Amazon Forest Fragment Project, which showed that roads, farms, and other forms of development have effectively, and disastrously, islandified mainland habitats. It’s hard to imagine modern conservation biology, with its emphasis on corridors and connectivity, without their insights.

Much has been written about Wilson’s and Lovejoy’s legacies — heck, they jointly invented the concept of biodiversity. Still, there’s so much more to say. On Twitter, I asked folks to send me their own brief reflections on what Wilson and/or Lovejoy meant to them. Here goes.

“Still heartbroken over the loss of a voice I have listened to my entire life. Even as a young girl, E. O. Wilson shaped my path, inspired my biological curiosity and my advocacy for wild things. I studied evolution in college, and he taught me at a young age to see life, all of life, as woven and integral, not like the traditional hierarchy more commonly taught. And ants! I never looked at ants the same after reading his work. And he taught me to dream big, to not relent when it comes to advocating for this planet with his Half-Earth vision. Like him, I am unwilling to sacrifice any scrap of biodiversity without a fight.” — Beth Pratt, National Wildlife Federation

I’ll add that Beth’s quite the inspirational figure in her own right, and for the last decade has spearheaded a project — the construction of a wildlife bridge that will reconnect an isolated population of mountain lions in Southern California — that is in many ways the intellectual fruit of Wilson’s and Lovejoy’s work.

“(I) had many discussions on (E.O. Wilson’s) theory of island biogeography in grad school and how it applied to isolated fish and amphibian populations in Utah’s West Desert. My advisor ended up giving me a copy of Wilson and Robert MacArthur’s book (The Theory of Island Biogeography) when I finished my defense. The West Desert application seemed distinct from what Wilson considered in his book. His theories led to us advocating for the restoration of corridors between isolated desert wetlands. That probably would have helped the dwindling amphibian populations but for the fish species we studied, it seemed hopeless that a wetland would ever be recolonized after a species was extirpated.” — Rip Miller, desert fish researcher and advocate

“(Wilson and Lovejoy) each dramatically influenced my understanding of landscapes and how full landscapes actually function ecologically — and thus drove me into the Wilderness movement. My conclusion was, if these guys and the science was correct about islands, cores, linkages … then the Wilderness act was the only real tool we had to do what we needed to do. Perhaps a naive take now, 25 years on, but I would have never become a public lands activist without their influence.” — Jim O’Donnell, journalist, photographer, and wilderness advocate

“In grad school for my master’s in literature with a focus in eco-criticism, my adviser Francis Gretton told the class that humans weren’t very important. In fact, if we went extinct tomorrow, life on earth would go on. Whereas if beetles went extinct tomorrow, humans would be gone within about three months. This idea was based on the various services beetles perform: breaking down waste, predating on other insects who are agricultural pests, etc. Rather than favoring humans, Gretton said, quoting famed biologist E.O. Wilson (who was himself paraphrasing JBS Haldane), if there is a god, s/he shows an “inordinate fondness for beetles” — based on the fact that there are five times as many species of beetles than all other species combined. That idea and concepts from Deep Ecology helped me to see beyond the standard narcissism of humans and gain a broader perspective on the world, a complex, wonderful place in which every being is important.” — Erica Gies, environmental journalist

“Tom was such an amazing scientist and environmental activist and his work changed the world. His writing and passion brought awareness to the urgency of saving our planet’s biodiversity (a term that he coined with EO Wilson). It was an honor to have known him personally and to have brought him to stay at the Garden in 2015. I will never forget the admiration in his voice as he reflected late about the significance of our work to save species from extinction. Few people know the critical role he played in getting the US Department of State to agree to Hawaii hosting the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress … a gathering that has gone down in history for its diversity, size and impact. Rest in peace my friend knowing that you have inspired an army of dedicated citizens around the globe to continue your vision of a healthy and sustainable planet.” — Chipper Wichman, National Tropical Botanical Garden, via Jon Letman

“Now I will always remember Dec. 26 as the day E.O. Wilson passed. He is my hero for his championship of biodiversity. I carried his autobiography (in hard cover) hiking in the Himalayas and sipped it slowly. It made a deep impression on me. And I was lucky to meet him briefly at a conference in Aspen where he rather vigorously attacked Emma Marris, whose book, Rambunctious Garden, argued the case for creating havens for wildlife given increasing development. He said to her, “Where do you plant your white flag?” I recall in my brief conversation with him outside, he bent down to look at an ant.” — Nancy Baron, COMPASS

For what it’s worth, I love the legendary white-flag story, and I’ve always been envious of Emma for piquing Wilson’s ire; you know you’ve written something provocative when you get one of the Grand Old Men riled up.

“E.O. Wilson and Thomas Lovejoy spent their lives studying nature and trying to protect healthy and intact ecosystems wherever possible. As a neuroscientist I became very involved in forests and brain health as a way to interface with our biggest challenges today. During a fellowship at Harvard I collaborated with a climate scientist and an ecologist on the benefits of proforestation — simply growing suitable existing forests as intact ecosystems. I will be forever honored that EO Wilson and Thomas Lovejoy both strongly supported proforestation: EO Wilson wrote a letter of support for proforestation legislation in Massachusetts, H. 912, and he said it was the most important thing the state could do with state land. Thomas Lovejoy was a major signatory of a letter to the European Union that supported proforestation explicitly. Ed Wilson and Tom Lovejoy knew it was important to protect intact ecosystems and pieces of wild nature everywhere — not just for climate, for biodiversity and our health — but so children of every generation can grow up experiencing real nature. In a world dominated by so many distractions, they will remain a lodestar to how much we don’t know, and to the power of just watching and enjoying and protecting life. For all species.” — Susan Masino, Vernon Roosa Professor of Applied Science, Trinity College

“Drs. Wilson and Lovejoy will forever be remembered for recognizing the importance of biodiversity and urging people, communities and countries for decades to conserve every last constituent part of earth’s spectacular, irreplaceable ecosystems. But perhaps even more important was Wilson’s clarion call in 2016 to dedicate half the planet to this purpose. Ambitious, controversial, his declaration was also a sobering referendum on our progress to date and an inspiring challenge to conservation advocates, policymakers and the body politic to protect more habitat, and quicker, to reverse species loss and buttress natural communities against climate change. His leadership inspired present day 30 x 30 conservation agendas and organizations like Oregon Natural Desert Association, where we are advocating for conservation of more than half of Oregon’s quintessential high desert for native species, watershed protection and climate adaptation.” — Mark Salvo, Oregon Natural Desert Association

“Tom was on my PhD committee. I worked on designing reforestation incentives in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, and we stayed in touch after I defended and left academia to work at the Center for American Progress. I could talk about how much he helped me personally (he did!) but the thing that resonated the most was when the two of us got a paper published with a third co-author, a young professor who was my host at the University of São Paulo. When we got the acceptance note, my host professor thanked me for the opportunity—it meant so much to him to publish with Tom. I think for all Tom did for the Amazon globally, he also had an excellent reputation in the scientific community of Brazil. The Amazon is a point of national pride, and Tom always did a very good job of centering that, elevating voices from Amazonian countries, and helping create opportunities for a wider range of folks than conservation often has in the past.” — Ryan Richards, Center for American Progress

“The first time I heard of E.O. Wilson was in an undergraduate ecology class; however, the Wilson brainchild that galvanizes me is the Half-Earth project. The Half-Earth proposal pushes many hideous, erroneous, and outdated European ideas, including that of terra nullius (land belonging to no one) and nature’s natural state being human-less. Contrary to romantic imperialist dreams, the New World and African ‘Edens’ colonialists invaded were lands managed by Indigenous people. For me, Wilson will always be remembered as a taxonomist that, due to his outsized influence on the field, epitomizes what we should be fighting against: conservation’s neocolonialist tendencies.” — Asia Murphy, wildlife scientist and writer

Asia is certainly not Half-Earth’s only critic, and I appreciate her pushback to the hagiography here.

“Wilson was uncompromising in his defense of traditional conservationist priorities like wilderness preservation, eradicating invasive species, and combating overpopulation. In a world where many are abandoning these long held priorities for more fashionable issues, his voice will be missed.” — Jimmy Tobias, investigative environmental journalist

“When I was US correspondent for New Scientist Magazine in the 80s, we reporters had, for a brief time, an informal competition for the costliest expensed business lunch. I briefly held the record after lunching with Tom Lovejoy. It was Italian, in DC. He loved good food and wine. Especially wine. I don’t remember if I got a story out of it. Nor did I care. — Christopher Joyce, retired NPR science correspondent.

Thanks very much to all who contributed, and I hope readers will leave their own reflections in the comments.

Photo: Phillip Capper, Wikimedia Commons