Ehrlich, Paul R.

Ehrlich, Paul R. (Ralph)

(1932–  ) entomologist, ecologist; born in Philadelphia. He was an entomologist at the University of Kansas (1953–59) and concurrently a research associate at the Chicago Academy of Science (1957–58). He made major contributions to field research on Arctic insects and parasitic mites (1950s), then performed extensive studies of butterflies after moving to Stanford (1959). He became a crusader for human conservation of natural resources after a 1966 trip to India made him aware of the ecological effects of poverty and overpopulation. His best-selling book, The Population Bomb (1968), predicted worldwide famine and advocated the concept of zero population growth. He became Bing Professor of Population Studies at Stanford (1976), and, in 1990, won Sweden's Crafoord Prize and became a MacArthur Fellow for his work in population biology and conservation of biological diversity.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.