Thomas Lovejoy

Tom Lovejoy is an innovative and accomplished conservation biologist who coined the term “biological diversity” in 1980 and brought world attention to tropical rain forests, particularly the Brazilian Amazon, where he has worked since 1965. He is also credited with developing “debt-for-nature” programs. In 2010 he was elected professor of Environmental Science and Policy at George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia. He is also a senior fellow at the UN Foundation. Prior he served as chief biodiversity advisor and lead specialist on the environment in Latin America for the World Bank. He has served on science and environmental councils under various US Presidents, including Reagan, Bush, and Clinton and he founded the series “Nature,” a popular, long-running program on US public television. With three co-edited books (1992, 2018), he is credited with founding the field of climate change biology. In 2001, he was awarded the prestigious Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement. He was appointed Conservation Fellow by National Geographic in 2009, and in 2012, received the Blue Planet Prize. With three co-edited books (1992, 2018), he is credited with founding the field of climate change biology. He holds BS and PhD (biology) degrees from Yale University.