The Nature Conservancy Announces New Partnership with E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation

8,000 acres in Mobile-Tensaw Delta to be renamed E.O. Wilson Land Between the Rivers Preserve

/EIN News/ -- Mobile, AL, June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation announced today that a nearly 8,000-acre preserve in Alabama’s Mobile-Tensaw Delta will be named in honor of famed natural scientist Edward Osborne Wilson. The announcement will be celebrated  during a webinar discussion, focused on the role community, culture, and science play in caring for nature, on June 10, 2025, what would have been Wilson’s 96^th birthday. 

An internationally acclaimed leader for protecting biodiversity, Wilson’s lifelong love for nature began with his childhood in Alabama. The E.O. Wilson Land Between the Rivers Preserve is in the heart of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta where he first explored his fascination with the natural world and later launched an unmatched legacy of education and conservation.

“There is nobody more associated with the Delta than E.O. Wilson,” said Mitch Reid, Director of The Nature Conservancy in Alabama. “The Delta is as unique and iconic as Dr. Wilson, and it is fitting that his name and legacy be forever connected with the place that inspired him on his incredible journey.”

The Mobile-Tensaw Delta is the second-largest intact delta system in North America and is one of the most ecologically diverse places on the planet. Referred to as “America’s Amazon,” Wilson said the magic of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta and its uplands stayed with him all his life.

The vast expanse of wetlands and bottomland forests is a critical migratory corridor for birds and is home to Delta sawbacks, red-bellied turtles, the Alabama sturgeon and the state’s largest population of the American alligator. Additionally, the last breeding population of black bear in Alabama is found here.

“Nothing would have brought Ed more joy than knowing this extraordinarily important habitat will be protected,” said Paula J. Ehrlich, President & Chief Executive Officer of the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation. “This place inspired so much of the global conservation ethic he so keenly advanced. I’d like to imagine his spirit will always be there.”

With support from Patagonia’s Holdfast Collective in 2024, TNC acquired the land that will be named in Wilson’s honor. The region was traditionally the land of the Naniaba, the “people of the forks,” who were often known by other tribes and the Europeans as “the fish eaters.” Their land between the rivers served as an important neutral ground between the Choctaw confederacies and the Creek confederacies.

In celebration of one of the Delta’s greatest advocates, TNC and the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation are committed to preserving this unique place for people and wildlife to thrive today – and in the future.

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About The Nature Conservancy 
The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world's toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters, and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable. Working in 79 countries and territories, we use a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. For TNC in Alabama-specific information, visit here. 

About The E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation
The E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation’s mission is to reimagine the way we care for our planet. The Foundation’s major initiative, the Half-Earth Project, is working to inspire informed collective action to save the biosphere. Building on the legacy of scientist, naturalist, and visionary E.O. Wilson and leading with science, we work to advance biodiversity conservation and support the communities shaping a more hopeful future—one species, one place, one action at a time. Visit https://eowilsonfoundation.org to learn more.

Attachments

• The Nature Conservancy
• Mobile-Tensaw From Above
• Mobile-Tensaw Trees
• Mobile-Tensaw Frog on a branch

Niquole Esters
                    Vice President, Strategic Engagement
                    E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation
                    Phone: (510) 631-7571
                    Email: nesters@eowilsonfoundation.org
                    www.eowilsonfoundation.org
                    
                    Chelsea Bowers
                    TNC
                    chelsea.bowers@tnc.org
                    804-728-0588
                    

The Nature Conservancy

Logo

Mobile-Tensaw From Above

At the magic hour.

Mobile-Tensaw Trees

Lush foliage

Mobile-Tensaw Frog on a branch

Rich biodiversity