Norman Myers Dies at 85; Sounded Early Alarm on Environment

The conservationist Norman Myers drew public attention to mass extinction, disappearing habitats and environmental refugees long before they became common topics in the news and the cause of angst for many. 

Norman Myers, pictured in 2007, was one of the
earliest experts to sound the alarm on the extinction
 of species. He took a broad view of the scientific
 literature in coming to his conclusions.

Dr. Myers, who worked for decades as an ecological consultant, lobbied politicians, companies and organizations and wrote or helped write nearly 20 books and hundreds of articles in scholarly journals and newspapers that posited groundbreaking ideas, many of which were later supported by further research. 

Dr. Myers died on Oct. 20 at a care facility in Oxford, England. He was 85. 

His daughter Malindi Myers said the cause was Lewy body dementia and Parkinson’s disease.

Many of Dr. Myers’s books and articles were based on careful examination of published work rather than on field work of his own. This perspective allowed him to ask questions and make inferences that other researchers might miss. But it also opened him to criticism that his conclusions were based on insufficient evidence.

Read the story from The New York Times by Daniel E. Slotnik - “Norman Myers Dies at 85; Sounded Early Alarm on Environment.”