Edward O. Wilson and Island Biodiversity

The American biologist Edward O. Wilson (1929 - 2021) laid the scientific foundation for many efforts to conserve biodiversity. His landmark experiment in the 1960s allowed him to show why life flourishes on some islands and not on others. These principles of island biogeography are valid for all types of isolated ecosystems, and inspired the creation of natural corridors—a key discovery helping to save animals such as wolves, bears and lynxes from extinction.