The Argentine scientist Pedro Jaureguiberry led a study published in the journal Science Advances in 2022 in which he identified that Climate change is not the only driver of the loss of biodiversity of communities, populations and species on planet Earth.
Other promoters make an impact similar or greater. according to research he conducted with colleagues from Belgium, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, Luxembourg, Germany, Hungary and Italy.
The results of this work allowed us to suggest that the serious problem of biodiversity loss must be addressed in a way holistic. That is, solutions for climate change should be sought along with the other factors that also impact.
The drivers of biodiversity loss, according to Jaureguiberry – who was interviewed by Infobae– and its collaborators, are:
- Climate change (mainly due to greenhouse gas emissions from human activities)
- changes in land use (due to agriculture or livestock, among other activities) and of the oceans (due to large-scale fishing)
- the direct exploitation of natural resources
- pollution (including plastics that reach the sea)
- invasions by introduced species in regions where they did not live
The work published by the magazine published by the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences today earned Jaureguiberry recognition as International Champion of the Frontiers Planet Award in Swiss.
A jury of experts chose him as a leader in the discovery of the factors driving biodiversity loss. The researcher, who works in the Multidisciplinary Institute of Plant Biologywhich depends on the National University of Cordoba and Conicet, will receive more than a million dollars in prize money that must be used in research.
Jaureguiberry, who graduated as a biologist from the National University of Córdoba, is part of the research team of the internationally recognized ecologist Sandra Diaz. This researcher was also co-author of the 2022 study and is the only Latin American who holds a position on the United Nations scientific advisory council.
The United Nations has already officially recognized that the disappearance and deterioration of biodiversity and ecosystems will prevent the achievement of 80% of the goals of eight of the Sustainable Development Goalswhich includes eradicating extreme poverty for all people worldwide by 2030.
The Frontiers Planet Award that Jaureguiberry won is part of a global competition for scientists and research institutions “that propose solutions to help the planet remain within the safe operating space.” It has been organized since 2022 and seeks to mobilize nations and the community of scientists who research Earth system science.
In this edition, Jaureguiberry was selected among the 23 National Champions. The jury is made up of 100 professionals from different disciplines, and the International Science Council also gives its endorsement. The other two are selected scientists from Germany and the United States. The award consists of nearly 1,100,000 US dollars that must be used to facilitate and accelerate research into the drivers that affect biodiversity. Dr. Jaureguiberry told Infobae which will deepen its studies on the serious environmental situation of the planet.
“This is wonderful news,” he told Infobae the doctor Alice Dickensteinpresident of the National Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences (ANCEFN) of the Argentina-. It is a great achievement for this young Conicet researcher who competed among many applicants from all over the world. We are extremely proud and happy, especially at this time of so much budget restriction in Argentina.”
Meanwhile, the scientist Beatriz Caputtopresident of the National Academy of Sciences in Córdoba, said to Infobae: “It is a huge joy and pride for public institutions and for the entire country. Pedro Jaureguiberry is one of the three winners after a very difficult world competition.”
When interviewed by this means, the Dr. Jaureguiberry He told how he was first drawn to scientific research: “I have been interested in natural sciences since high school. I was thinking about studying something related, such as biology, agronomy or forestry. In the end I decided on biology.”
Becoming a scientist “is something that happened as I advanced in my undergraduate career, and then when I graduated as a biologist. I had the opportunity to start my doctorate, and it seemed like a good option. I decided to follow the path of a scientist, and I am very happy and satisfied with the results. Maybe I think I would have enjoyed other races too, as long as they had a relationship with nature,” he said.
Over the last century, the world has changed dramatically. Human activity has altered the terrestrial environment by 75% and the marine environment by 66%, and one million animal and plant species are in danger of extinction.
What will you do with the prize? The scientist Jaureguiberry answered: “Due to the importance of the award in terms of funds, for now I can say some possible lines of research to develop. I clarify that these are preliminary ideas that I will continue developing in the short and medium term, surely in collaboration with colleagues from both Argentina and other countries.”
A point that will try to develop is a similar analysis which was published in the magazine Science Advances. But they are going to use the most up-to-date information possible, as many studies have been published on drivers of biodiversity loss since they last updated the database they had built.
“It would also include exploring sources of information in several languages, to obtain more comprehensive information that allows us to evaluate patterns at scales of analysis that we have not yet explored. It is important to clarify that all this is subject to the availability of information and logistical limitations in terms of the formation of the necessary work team,” stated the researcher.
Furthermore, “it could explore the interactions between drivers of loss of biodiversity, since it is an aspect about which little is known. It is very necessary to have a more detailed idea about the effect of the drivers and the way in which they act on different aspects of biodiversity,” he said.
Another question to delve into is to analyze the impact that the calls have had so far “nature-based solutions” in mitigating the drivers of biodiversity loss. “This would be very useful to know which measures have been more effective than others, what their success depends on, and what changes are necessary to improve them,” he said.
As the planet is interconnected, each modification can have different effects on the communities, populations or species that inhabit them. The work published in Science Advances It took a total of around five years, going through different stages, such as developing the idea and testing the methodology, searching for information, developing and controlling the database, testing and improving the methodology, and writing the work. .
The results were also useful for the political negotiations that is underway on how to better care for or slow the loss of biodiversity.
“While I do not know all the details about the science/policy interface, I can say that our results were an important contribution to shaping the policy document produced at the COP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CDB) held in Kunming-Montreal, which includes a specific reference to the classification of direct drivers, as well as specific global objectives to mitigate each of them,” said the scientist.
This document is a direct contribution to the “Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework″ (MGB) outlined by the Biological Diversity Convention. “This implies that member countries have this information to know what the role of these drivers is, and where they should focus to implement effective policies. “It is important to clarify that there are many other sources of information that have contributed to developing the MGB,” he said, “and they must all be seen as a whole, since none of the studies can provide everything necessary on their own.”
