The British conservationist Norman Myers drew public attention to mass extinction, disappearing habitats and environmental refugees long before they became common topics in the news and causes of widespread concern.

Dr. Myers, an ecological consultant who died on Oct. 20 at 85, lobbied politicians, companies and organizations and wrote or helped write nearly 20 books and hundreds of articles in scholarly journals and newspapers that posited groundbreaking ideas, many of which were later supported by further research.

Many of his books and articles were based on examinations of published work rather than on field work of his own. This perspective allowed him to ask questions and make inferences that other researchers might have missed. But it also opened him to criticism that his conclusions were based on insufficient evidence.

Dr. Myers responded to his critics by arguing that the potential for ecological catastrophe made it all the more important that he publicize troubling discoveries . In an essay in The Guardian in 1992, he inveighed against “the established approach,” which “has required scientists not to publish or otherwise present their findings until they have a high degree of certainty.”