An Argentine scientist won the Nobel Prize in Ecology

This Monday, the magazine Nature Ecology and Evolution published a work that analyzes satellite data on the intensity and extent of fires throughout the globe. He concludes that The frequency with which these events occur in their extreme form has more than doubled in the last two decades. Two other studies published in the journals One Earth and Cell Reports Sustainability They agree that the fire season has not stopped increasing since the beginning of the century. To such an extent that there are those who suggest that the planet is entering a new era, the “Pyrocene”.

Interestingly, the role of fires in Cordoba ecosystems is the subject of research by Pedro Jaureguiberry, scientist at the Multidisciplinary Institute of Plant Biology (Imbiv, Conicet-National University of Córdoba) who today was consecrated with what could be considered the “Nobel of Ecology”: the Frontiers Planeta Prize, endowed with one million Swiss francs (almost $1,100,000), created in 2022 and this year it is delivered for the second time. Along with Jaureguiberry, Peter Haase, from Germany, and Jason Rohr, from the United States, also won. They both receive the same amount.

The names of the international “champions” were announced at a ceremony organized by the Villars Institute in Villars-sur-Ollon, an idyllic town located in the heart of the Swiss Alps. Selected from a group of 23 national “champions”, they were chosen by an independent jury of 100 renowned sustainability experts. In this edition, the Prize collaborated with 20 science academies and 475 universities and institutions from 43 countries to highlight scalable research focused on enabling healthy lives on a healthy planet.

Still shocked by the news, Jaureguiberry confesses from Switzerland that “I thought I had a very low probability of winning, considering that many works from dozens of countries were evaluated; It was a pleasant surprise”.

Born in Colonia Caroya, Córdoba, with a degree in biology from the national university of that province and a doctorate under the direction of the famous ecologist, also from Córdoba, Sandra Díaz, Jaureguiberry (44) confesses that He was always attracted to the ecology of communities and ecosystems. But when eight years ago he joined the preparation of the global report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (Ipbes, generally referred to as the IPCC of ecology), he surely did not imagine where that decision would lead him.

“In 2016, I responded to a call made through official bodies in each country to nominate specialists who wanted to participate in this monumental study – he said a month ago, when it was announced that he was one of the finalists, The uncovering–. I entered a program called ‘capacity building for researchers who were in the initial stages of their career. I got involved as much as I could and one of the sections I took charge of (and eventually led) ended up being very important to the report.because it consisted of establishing a ranking of drivers of biodiversity loss on the planet. Then, what we did for the IPBES report, with important improvements in the methodological aspect, among others, we published it in 2022 in the journal Science Advanceslocated among the highest profile on the international stage.”

He paper (DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abm998), which demonstrated qualitatively and quantitatively that land and sea use change and direct exploitation are the two dominant drivers of global biodiversity loss in recent decades, It had a huge impact. In a year and a half, he received hundreds of citations, but he also fed the document for decision makers that was produced at the meeting of the United Nations Conference on Biodiversity in Montreal, which proposed the objectives and goals that must be met by a comprehensive global commitment to conserve, restore and sustainably use biodiversity (Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework).

It is this work that was evaluated to award him with the aforementioned award, which is awarded Future Earth, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research Impact, the International Scientific Council and the Villars Institute. Carried out with an international team, it was key to informing effective policies. “Biodiversity loss not only undermines the resilience and stability of ecosystems, but also threatens the provision of ecosystem services fundamental to human well-being, such as clean air, water and food.”, Jaureguiberry stresses.

Now, while trying to convince himself of what he is experiencing, the scientist is already thinking about what his next steps will be. “Due to the recent nature of the award and its importance in terms of funds, For now I can only mention some possible lines of research, although they are preliminary ideas that I will continue developing in the short and medium term, in collaboration with colleagues from both Argentina and other countries. –he confesses–. We will likely attempt a similar analysis to the one we performed, but using the most up-to-date information possible, as many studies on drivers have been published since we last updated our database. In principle, this would also include exploring sources in several languages, to obtain more comprehensive information that allows us to evaluate patterns at scales of analysis that we have not yet studied. It is important to clarify that all this is subject to the availability of information and logistical limitations of the work team. I would also like to explore the interactions that occur between drivers of biodiversity loss, since it is an aspect about which little is known, and it is very necessary to have a more detailed idea about their effect and the way in which they act on different aspects. [de los ecosistemas]. And analyze the impact that nature-based solutions have had so far (nature-based solutions) in its mitigation. This would be very useful to know which measures were more effective than others, what their success depends on and what changes are necessary.”

According to the organizers, The Frontiers Planet Prize recognizes scientists whose research contributes to accelerating solutions that ensure humanity remains safe within the limits of the Earth’s ecosystem.“It recognizes and promotes advances in sustainability science that show the greatest potential to prevent humanity from crossing planetary boundaries,” they add.