From observing the species living in this region, Wallace described a line separating distinctly different Asian and Austra-asian fauna. Thomas Huxley coined the term “Wallace’s Line” in an 1868 paper.
Thomas Huxley, 1874 [Carte de Visite Fotografie]
Eventually, Wallace furthered his research and made a map of the zoogeographical regions of the world. His pioneering contributions in this field earned him the title "father of biogeography."
Mr. Bill Bailey & Dr. George Beccaloni [Segment, Natural History Museum, London 'Bill Bailey on Alfred Russel Wallace', July 3, 2013].
Wallace's foldout map of Zoogeographical Regions ['The Geographical Distribution of Animals', 1876].
Natural Selection
Wallace was often incapacitated by tropical diseases. In 1858, during a bout of fever, he collected his thoughts from his observations, producing the idea of natural selection described in his “Ternate Essay.”
Conservation
Wallace on the impact of civilization ['The Malay Archipelago' Chapter XXXI.]
Wallace realized that if industrialized society fully takes over, the wildlife in this region could be permanently destroyed.