Thomas Lovejoy, a renowned ecologist who is best remembered for his dedication to preserving the Amazon rainforest, died on Saturday, December 25, at the age of 80. Scholars at Resources for the Future (RFF) and our extended network are deeply saddened by Lovejoy’s passing and remember him as a titanic figure in conservation policy and research. He will be sorely missed.
Lovejoy, who held various positions throughout his life at renowned institutions such as George Mason University, the United Nations Foundation, and the World Bank, served on RFF’s Board of Directors from 1989 to 1998. He also was a member of RFF’s Forestry Advisory Committee, a position he held beginning in 1979.
Some of Lovejoy’s most prominent accomplishments include establishing Camp 41, a research station in Brazil that was home to cutting-edge Amazonian conservation research and hosted prominent scholars and public figures such as Al Gore and Walter Cronkite. He is credited with popularizing the term “biological diversity” (which later evolved into “biodiversity”) and the idea of “debt-for-nature swap,” a system in which developing countries’ foreign debt is forgiven in exchange for conservation pledges.
Friends and colleagues, such as Senior Fellow Michael Toman, remember Lovejoy as “uniquely kind” and “anything but shy”—someone who spoke often and persuasively about the effects of climate change on ecosystems. The study of biodiversity and conservation ecology would be very different without his contributions. As the world continues to grapple with an uncertain future, his passion, dedication, and knowledge will be remembered and continue to serve as an inspiration for generations of conservation scholars and advocates to come.
