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E.O. Wilson is a world-renowned scientist, author, Harvard University professor emeritus and currently the curator at Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology. Wilson has received the Pulitzer Prize twice for his nonfiction books, The Ants, and On Human Nature, and has received several other awards, including the National Medal of Science and the International Prize of Biology from Japan. His keen interest in nature began when he studied bugs as a boy in Alabama. Today, he travels the globe to study insects. This interview was conducted by Mott Communications Officer Maggie I. Jaruzel, and supplements a larger environment feature in a past issue of our periodic magazine, Mott Mosaic.

Mott: What is the importance of the freshwater biodiversity system in the U.S. Southeast?  

E.O. Wilson (EO): In the southeastern states, it is fair to say that the biodiversity ...   E.O. Wilsonis rivaled only by some parts of southeastern temperate Asia ... .

For example, the number of fish species found in the freshwater systems of Alabama is approximately 350. That is an amazing number. There is a comparable number in Tennessee, and it is not far off from that in Georgia, Virginia and the Carolinas. There are large numbers of endangered freshwater species. That is particularly true of mollusks. It is also true of fish. The southeastern part of the U.S. is the headquarters of biodiversity for salamanders. It is also the headquarters for crawfish.

In short, this is a hot spot. It’s probably right up there with Hawaii. Therefore, even small amounts of effort, research, and action put toward the aquatic system of the Southeast will have large returns to scale. You can, without major expenditure, hope to save several species.

Mott: When people hear the word “science,” it often triggers anxiety. Yet, your books are best-sellers. What do you credit this to?

EW: I would say I’m a Southern writer who got trapped in a scientist’s body. I am an Alabama storyteller. I have a natural affinity for storytelling, and I have a passion about the subject. All of those are elements you need to be a successful writer . . . My next book, which is now in the publisher’s hands, is tentatively called Ascending to Nature. It is essentially a Southern Baptist sermon.

Mott: In a nutshell, why should people care about the environment?

“This is the century that we will have to settle down before we wreck the planet. … We can forgive our Ice Age ancestors, who killed off the mammoth ... They didn’t know what they were doing. We know what we are doing.”

EW: The more people lose -- with the growth of cities and suburbs -- the less they think about what they’ve lost. They have their little plastic world. They have their golf courses. They have all of this fantastic technology that allows them to see dinosaurs fighting. They live in an imaginary world.

Until we improve our science education, children will have no idea what this environment is all about. But if we do that, we are going to find a larger percentage of people caring about the outdoors. Instead of going to amusement parks, they will be going to a national forest, cross-country hiking, seeing the outdoors as an adventure, which is really much more satisfying.

Mott: What is the role of nonprofit environmental groups in spearheading water protection and conservation efforts?

EW: I can easily talk about the importance of the non-governmental organizations [NGOs]. They have freedom. They can do things that governments can’t and won’t do. NGOs can do things that they see are right without having to build an icebreaker and get through 10 miles of built-in resistance, such as political, democratic and ignorance obstacles. They can really turn opinions around.

For example, when an organization like Mott gets involved in Alabama, Tennessee or Georgia -- and helps people to save their own biodiversity -- that captures attention. The conservation movements, which have been really getting steamed up over the last 10 years, are just getting started. They can really stand a lot of help. A little boost is great. It increasingly turns the scale. When you give to NGOs, you don’t have to get it passed through the legislature. You don’t have to go through this hoop and you don’t have to go through that hoop. You can just go ahead and do it.

Mott: You often write and talk about “the little creatures,” which might seem inconsequential to humans. Why are they important?

EW: I call them the little things that run the earth. That is literally true. Once you get to know something about them, you have to appreciate them. You don’t have to love them because they are not pandas and lovable. They are not even cuddly. I’ll grant you that. No one could really love a roundworm or red spider, but you have to appreciate that they are benign. They are not “creepy crawlies.” They are million-year-old species that are beautifully designed. They fit together in these ecosystems in a way that is truly marvelous to behold. It is very important for human security in the future.

The soil is filled with bugs; the soil is a living memory of this equilibrium system. This is an extraordinarily productive, fast-moving system of exchange and interaction. These little creatures are the ones that really make it up. The huge organisms, they are there and they play an important role but they are nothing when compared with what the little guys do. For example, in the tropical rainforest ants alone outweigh all the land vertebras – reptiles, amphibians, mammals and birds. They outweigh them four to one.

Mott: What is our role as stewards of the planet?

EW: This is the century that we will have to settle down before we wreck the planet. … We can forgive our Ice Age ancestors, who killed off the mammoth. They thought every other big animal was theirs and theirs alone in the world. They didn’t know what they were doing. We know what we are doing.