The Córdoba biologist Pedro Jaureguiberry (44) is the international champion of the prestigious Frontiers Planeta Award, awarded by the Frontiers Research Foundation for his work on biodiversity conservation and environmental sustainability.
It is one of the highest international distinctions in the field of ecology and the environment. The award celebrates excellence in scientific research and its impact on global policymaking.
The announcement of the recognition was made on June 26 during the Villars Symposium, held in Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland.
Jaureguiberry has a PhD in Biology and is a researcher at the Multidisciplinary Institute of Plant Biology (Imbiv), which depends on the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (Conicet) and the National University of Córdoba (UNC), and specializes in “Fire Ecology”, that is, the study of the role and impacts of fires on ecosystems.
And it receives one of the most important global recognitions in the field of sustainability and biodiversity conservation.
The scientist, born in Colonia Caroya, was chosen, along with two researchers from Germany and the United States, among 23 National Champions of the second edition of the international sustainability science competition, announced on April 22, International Earth Day.
“I am very happy for the award. It is a great opportunity to continue developing research on environmental issues,” he told The voice the award-winning Cordoba.
Furthermore, he added that it is a great honor to receive this recognition and also a great commitment to continue doing “innovative” science.
The Frontiers Planet Prize awards one million Swiss francs (about $1,100,000) to facilitate and accelerate research and research development for each of the three winners.
About the study
Jaureguiberry is recognized for his work on the main causes of biodiversity loss at a global level.
“Our study provides exhaustive and rigorous information on the drivers of biodiversity damage at multiple levels, from regions to different facets of biodiversity, highlighting the importance of each cause in particular contexts. This will contribute to generating more efficient policies that allow us to reverse the loss of biodiversity on the planet,” the scientist explained to The voice.
Furthermore, he added that the research arose when he became involved in a very large report on the state of biodiversity and ecosystem services that was done globally since 2016 and published in 2019.
To investigate the patterns behind these causes, the expert did a great job as a team. “We obtained the information we needed, we built a very large database, we did an analysis of that database that had not been done before in that way,” said the specialist.
From these investigations, it turned out that the five drivers of biodiversity loss are: changes in land use, direct exploitation of natural resources, pollution, climate change and invasive exotic species.
The preparation of the report, led by the biologist, was in charge of the intergovernmental platform called Ipbes, made up of 150 countries, which is responsible for preparing technical reports on the most relevant topics for decision-making.
He paper had an enormous impact on the scientific community and fueled the documents at the meeting of the United Nations Conference on Biodiversity in Montreal, Canada, where the objectives for 2030-2050 were proposed that should be met at a global level to conserve, restore and sustainably use biodiversity.
“The great contribution of the work is that the different aspects of biodiversity have never been treated together, quantitatively and statistically,” highlighted the expert.
The importance of conservation
Jaureguiberry related that his interest in natural sciences and the relationship between humans and nature began at a very young age. “Since my first years of university, I was attracted to ecology at the level of communities and ecosystems, especially how they are shaped by different disturbances,” he said.
Regarding the award-winning study, the researcher pointed out that it was clearly demonstrated that, at a global level, change in land and sea use and direct exploitation were the two dominant drivers of global biodiversity loss in recent decades.
At the same time, he highlighted that the relevance of these drivers can vary significantly depending on the scale and context of analysis considered. Furthermore, he highlighted the importance of this knowledge for effective policy formulation.
And he emphasized the relevance of his work in the context of planetary boundaries, highlighting that the loss of biodiversity not only undermines the resilience and stability of ecosystems but also threatens the provision of ecosystem services fundamental to human well-being, such as air. clean, water and food.
The recognition of their work comes at a crucial time, as the international community, through the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) outlined by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), seeks to implement more effective policies to mitigate the negative impacts of human activities on biodiversity.
“Our study directly contributed to intergovernmental policy, largely inspiring the identification and classification of direct drivers in the new post-2020 CBD MGB,” Jaureguiberry said.
He also highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and the need to involve diverse stakeholders in management and conservation initiatives. He also advocated for the need to continue advancing research to close current knowledge gaps and promote a sustainable future.
“A comprehensive approach to these issues will produce an increasingly clear picture of the problem, but fundamentally, it will be a key contribution to working towards options for a sustainable future for the planet,” he concluded.
They seek to distinguish it
In Córdoba, the news of the award to Pedro Jaureguiberry generated great approval and that is why, next Monday, the Deliberative Council of Córdoba will discuss a project in the Environmental Management and Sustainability commission, presented by councilor Soledad Saragaza of Hacemos Unidos por Córdoba , to distinguish the biologist who won the Frontiers Planeta award.
About the award
He Frontiers Planet Award aims to mobilize science for a global green renaissance. Rewards and promotes advances in sustainability.
This is the second edition of the Prize, which brought together 20 science academies from different countries and 475 leaders of universities and research institutes from 43 nations to demonstrate transformative and globally scalable research on planetary science, with a focus on enabling healthy lives on a healthy planet.
In addition to the Argentine Jaureguiberry, the other finalists were: Federico Maggi (Australia), Marta Kozicka (Austria), Alexander Turra (Brazil), Umberto Berardi (Canada), Yang Ou (China), Minik Rosing (Denmark), Olga Tammeorg (Finland ), Peter Haase (Germany), Daniel Muth (Hungary), Francesco Maria Sabatini (Italy), Evan Economo (Japan), Rebecca Gladstone-Gallagher (New Zealand), Michal Bogdziewicz (Poland), Raquel Peixoto (Saudi Arabia), Mia Strand (South Africa), Seung-Ki Min (South Korea), Alexandra Velty (Spain), Gerard Rocher-Ros (Sweden), Gabriela Schaepman-Strub (Switzerland), Mustafa Sahmaran (Turkey), Stephen Widdicombe (United Kingdom) and Jason Rohr (United States).
