Most people have heard of Charles Darwin but few know about Charles Waterton who played an important role in Darwin’s life. Waterton seems to have been forgotten by history but he created the first nature preserve, invented the artificial bird nest box and wrote a book that contributed to Charles Darwin’s decision to switch from medicine to natural history. I wanted to know whether Waterton’s conservation philosophies were still valid 150 years after his death; the answers are in this BBC story (spoiler alert: they are!).
http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20150921-the-man-who-inspired-charles-darwin