Philip D. Tanimoto, Ph.D. Executive Director & Conservation Biogeographer

Most of my finest memories are from times I spent surrounded by the splendor of the natural world. To me, an optimal world is one that offers people a high quality of life, complete with a bounty of ecological resources and services. In my lifetime, the world's population has doubled and the fabric of the biosphere is unraveling. As a result, we are losing species, communities, livelihoods, and happiness.

Geographic analysis is one way I can help to identify both the problems and possible solutions to some of our pressing ecological predicaments. It is a powerful tool that has helped to recover endangered species and to identify at-risk biota. For example, I developed a system to map avian habitat quality across continent-sized areas using information from the species themselves. This biogeographic approach gives us a large area perspective that can be joined with more localized analysis, showing, for example, which forested parcels remain intact, and which are without official protection. I have dedicated my life to spatial analysis of biotic systems, to support their conservation, in hopes that future generations will reap the benefits of clean water, clean air, and the bounty of a healthy Earth.