Thomas Lovejoy: Fifty years in the Amazon

An American biologist heads a groundbreaking project that has helped to define forest conservation areas

MARIA GUIMARÃES and CARLOS FIORAVANTI

Thomas Lovejoy looks equally at ease wearing clothing suitable for walking in the forest or jackets and bowties in a variety of print patterns. This versatility signifies a rare ability to move between the jungle where he does scientific research and the halls of government for environmental policy discussions. The American biologist has won several awards for his contributions to our understanding and defense of biodiversity. Lovejoy has also earned recognition from the scientific community for having created the expression “biological diversity,” a term now in common usage. “We were talking about biological diversity, but we did not have the term,” he noted..