Dr . Thomas E . Lovejoy III - Groundbreaking Advocate for Nature
GUYANA SURINAME
FRENCH GUIANA
The late Dr . Thomas Lovejoy , lifelong Conservation Biologist . Tom was Professor at George Mason University , Chief Biodiversity Adviser to the President of the World Bank , Senior Adviser to the President of the United Nations Foundation , Biodiversity Chair of the Heinz Center for Science , Economics and the Environment , and cherished Rainforest Trust Board Member from 2013 until his passing in 2021 .
ON BASIN
BRAZIL
Thomas Lovejoy , a beloved Rainforest Trust board member until his passing in December 2021 , began working in the Brazilian Amazon in 1965 . He was a groundbreaking scientist and advocate for nature who was an architect of the tipping point concept and introduced the term “ biological diversity ” in 1980 .
Discovering a joyful reverence for all species as a youth , Dr . Lovejoy ’ s profound impact on the field of conservation biology — which he helped establish — has been immeasurable . His work as an ecologist , scientist , advocate for nature , international advisor , professor and mentor reverberates worldwide , but maybe most powerfully in his efforts to save tropical rainforests .
Dr . Lovejoy ' s final book , Ever Green : Saving Big Forests to Save the Planet , co-written with fellow conservationist John Reid , is a fascinating look at his life as a scientist and explorer of forest landscapes and the teeming life — and mysteries — they hold .
greatest biodiversity and the most urgent threats . Now , after protecting over 39 million acres of fragile ecosystems , we must move faster and do more . Protecting these vibrant , functioning ecosystems is our only hope in addressing climate tipping points .
The alternative is unthinkable .
Recognizing that Earth has limits and that our futures are intrinsically tied to them — for better and for worse — Dr . Lovejoy ’ s life ’ s work has supplied us with ample beacons to illuminate a sane path forward , should we choose to take it . He has shaped our mission and vision here at Rainforest Trust , and we are forever grateful .
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