A man bought 51,000 acres of degraded land in Florida; decades later, it became the largest private restoration project east of the Mississippi

He is 85, known as the father of sociobiology, has been at Harvard for 60 years, and has won a hundred scientific awards, including two Pulitzer Prizes. Yet what E.O. Wilson, an evolutionary biologist, is focused on is a new conservation approach, a new ecological Grail which is a quest to refute conservation sceptics who […]

In 1985, CNN founder Ted Turner bought thousands of acres in Florida; the former plantation became a major private wildlife landscape | World News

Ted Turner. Image Credit: Architectural Digest Ted Turner’s homes were never simply places to live. The CNN founder built a remarkable property portfolio that stretched across vast ranches, wildlife landscapes and historic plantations covering roughly 2 million acres. Among the most interesting was ‘Avalon,’ a former cotton plantation near Tallahassee, Florida, that Turner bought in […]

In 1940, actor James Cagney bought hundreds of acres of California grassland; decades later the remaining 417 acres became a protected wildlife corridor | World News

For decades, the grasslands outside Ramona, California, looked much as they had for generations: open country, seasonal pools and wide stretches of native vegetation broken by grazing land. As reported by the local news report, The San Diego Union-Tribune, among the people who once owned part of this landscape was Hollywood actor James Cagney, who […]

In 1966, Marlon Brando bought a private Polynesian atoll after filming ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’; it is now a wildlife sanctuary where 15,614 green turtle hatchlings emerged in one season

Marlon Brando bought a private Polynesian atoll after filming ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ A private Pacific atoll once owned by Hollywood actor Marlon Brando has become one of French Polynesia’s most important marine conservation sites, with thousands of sea turtle hatchlings recorded after decades of habitat protection. Biologists monitoring Tetiaroa Atoll recorded more than 15,614 […]

In 1967, Guy Savy and a partner bought a degraded Seychelles island; after restoring nesting habitat, its sooty tern colony rose from under 20,000 pairs to about 700,000

Guy Savy and a partner bought a degraded Seychelles island A tiny coral island on the northern edge of the Seychelles Bank was once close to ecological collapse. Years of commercial farming, habitat destruction and wildlife exploitation had badly damaged its natural environment. Today, after more than five decades of careful conservation, Bird Island is […]

In 1993, Tim Curry bought a Los Angeles home for $650,000 as it faced demolition and spent years restoring it; hours after news of his death, the $7.5 million home found a buyer

Tim Curry’s historic Los Feliz home, which he lovingly restored, has come under offer for $7.5 million following the actor’s death at 80. Tim Curry’s historic Los Feliz home has come under offer just hours after news of the actor’s death at 80 was announced. The property, which Curry painstakingly restored during his ownership, had […]