Holling came to Canada at age five. He became a zoologist and ecologist (BA, University of Toronto, 1952; MA, 1954; PhD (Zoology), UBC, 1957). His work emphasizes the resilience of natural systems and how they maintain their structure in the face of disturbances, rather than employing human intervention to control things. He received the Mercer Award and the Austrian Cross of Honour for Sciences and Art.

Sources: Canadian Who’s Who 1993; Journal of Business Administration, Winter-Fall, 1990