Man bought 51,000 acres of degraded Florida land and turned it into restoration

E.O. Wilson, the acclaimed evolutionary biologist and "father of sociobiology," has spent his career focusing on a new conservation approach to counter sceptics who doubt the worth of preserving the natural world. This approach aims to refute the belief that there's insufficient natural world left to save, as the planet has seen a gradual increase in species since hard-shelled animals first emerged 544 million years ago, despite five mass extinction events.

The current biodiversity situation is alarming, with the sixth mass extinction event potentially underway due to human activities. To prevent this crisis, Wilson proposes setting aside half the planet as permanently protected for the ten million other species.

A multimillionaire, M.C. Davis, is making strides towards Wilson's vision. Davis, a former commodities trader in timber and oil and gas rights, has spent the past decade planting longleaf pine trees and working on longleaf forest restoration. He bought 51,000 acres of degraded land in Florida, naming it Nokuse Plantation, which translates to "bear" in the Muskogee language.

Nokuse is the largest private preserve and the biggest restoration project east of the Mississippi, aiming to revive the once-extensive Piney Woods ecosystem. Davis has thinned 22,000 acres of pulpwood pines and planted eight million longleaf seedlings. He has also reintroduced the gopher tortoise, a keystone species that significantly impacts its ecosystem.

Despite challenges and the ongoing extinction clock, Davis remains committed to his 300-year program, realizing that every acre matters in the fight against the sixth mass extinction event.