ambition to preserve it

[keannu]

What is the "it" in "ambition to preserve it"? Is it "a great desire" or "loveliness"? If it is different from "a great desire", why isn't it connected by "and" before "ambition"? If multiple things are described, they should be connected by "and". So it seems "ambition to preserve it" equals "a great desire".

“Under the microscope, I found that snowflakes are miracles of beauty, and I felt sad that this beauty should not be seen and appreciated by others. Every crystal is a masterpiece of design, and no one design is ever repeated. After a snowflake melts, that design is forever lost. Its beauty disappeared, leaving no record behind. I became full of a great desire to show people this wonderful loveliness, ambition to preserve it.” -Wilson Bentley

[Gillnetter]

What is the "it" in "ambition to preserve it"? Is it "a great desire" or "loveliness"? If it is different from "a great desire", why isn't it connected by "and" before "ambition"? If multiple things are described, they should be connected by "and". So it seems "ambition to preserve it" equals "a great desire".

“Under the microscope, I found that snowflakes are miracles of beauty, and I felt sad that this beauty should not be seen and appreciated by others. Every crystal is a masterpiece of design, and no one design is ever repeated. After a snowflake melts, that design is forever lost. Its beauty disappeared, leaving no record behind. I became full of a great desire to show people this wonderful loveliness, ambition to preserve it.” -Wilson Bentley

After a snowflake melts - subject is snowflake
Its beauty - reference to snowflake
...ambition to preserve it - reference to snowflake

[keannu]

After a snowflake melts - subject is snowflake
Its beauty - reference to snowflake
...ambition to preserve it - reference to snowflake

Okay, It makes sense, but as ambition is closer to loveliness, doesn't it mean loveliness as well? So the reason why there's no "and" before "ambition" is because ambition is similar to "a great desire"?