Celebrating Transformational Science: Honoring the 2024 International Champions of the Frontiers Planet Prize
The three International Champions of the Frontiers Planet Prize
Global temperatures are rising, and ecosystems are being pushed beyond their abilities to adapt. As we struggle to keep our ecosystem within the limits of the nine planetary boundaries, feelings of fear and hopelessness are natural reactions. Therefore now, more than ever, we need to find transformational solutions to navigate one of the biggest challenges facing humanity today.
With more scientists working today than ever before, we're making significant progress, fostering hope and optimism amidst our global challenges. Researchers around the world are working tirelessly to publish groundbreaking, transformational research that will influence policies and practices so we can all live healthier, happier lives on a planet that can sustainably support us.
The international champions of the 2024 Frontiers Planet Prize are three scientists whose award-winning research is doing just that. Their work has been recognized internationally, by the independent Jury of 100 planetary health experts, chaired by Professor Johan Rockström, as having the ability to make substantial advancements in our fight to keep our planet within its safe operating space.
Dr Pedro Jaureguiberry from the Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal, Argentina, was announced as one of the three 2024 International Champions, representing his team of co-authors. Pedro has always had an interest in the relationship between humans and nature, especially how communities and ecosystems are affected by various disruptions.
Highlighted in his winning research The direct drivers of recent global anthropogenic biodiversity loss, published in Science Advances. Dr Jaureguiberry’s work focused on how our ecological systems maintain balance, which is essential for human health and prosperity, and set out to discover what anthropogenic drivers have the greatest impact on biodiversity.
While working on the IPBES Global Assessment Report, he and his team conducted an unprecedented global synthesis on the hierarchy of direct drivers of biodiversity loss. The project found that changes in how we use land and sea, as well as the direct exploitation of natural resources, are the primary reasons for this decline in biodiversity.
Dr Jaureguiberry’s work is revelatory and will play a pivotal role in shaping global sustainability objectives for the upcoming decade while opening new avenues for future investigation. By having a deeper understanding of the impact of these drivers it means we can find innovative new ways to protect the planet. As Dr Jaureguiberry notes “Our research’s insights on drivers of biodiversity loss are key to informing effective policies and for transformative action.”
Biodiversity loss was the key focus of fellow international champion, Professor Peter Haase from the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research, Germany and his co-lead author Doctor Ellen Welti from Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, USA. In their research, Prof Haase and Dr Welti lay bare the difficulties our freshwater ecosystems are facing. Although constituting just 2% of the Earth's surface they shelter a staggering 10% of all animal species. However, dam constructions, water withdrawal, an increase in non-native invasive species and the effects of pollution and climate change are causing biodiversity loss and rendering them highly vulnerabl.
Knowing that action had to be taken, Professor Haase, along with his team, published their findings in the article The recovery of European freshwater biodiversity has come to a halt, in Nature. The research not only explores past measures and their effects on safeguarding freshwater biodiversity but suggests what action needs to be taken now and in the future and the effect this will have on the planet.
Their research showed that while biodiversity in freshwater systems from 22 European countries increased significantly from 1968 to 2020, progress had plateaued by 2010 with many ecosystems unable to regenerate fully since. In particular, freshwater ecosystems downstream of dams, urban areas, and farmland took longer to recover, suggesting the need for better wastewater networks and improved treatment plants as well as reducing fertilizers and pesticides. Implementing such measures would not only safeguard freshwater biodiversity but also mitigate risks of flooding and drought.
Such findings are vital in educating policymakers and encouraging real, positive change. As Professor Haase states “Legislative measures can promote recovery in freshwater ecosystems, but recovery recently stalled, thus further action is critically needed.”
Influencing policy and legislation is also at the heart of the work of the third international champion, Professor Jason Rohr, from the University of Notre Dame, United States of America, accompanied by his co-author Dr Alexandra Sack. Known for their interdisciplinary approach when exploring the complex interactions between environmental factors and biological systems, Professor Rohr and Doctor Sack turned their attention to Schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease transmitted through contact with contaminated freshwater and puts over 800 million people worldwide at risk of the disease. In their award-winning research A planetary health innovation for disease, food, and water challenges in Africa, published in Nature. Professor Rohr and his co-authors decided to take a novel approach by reimagining poverty, health, and environmental issues as intersections rather than separate issues.
First they removed the invasive aquatic vegetation from water access points which reduced the initial chances of catching the disease. These plants were then recycled as valuable agricultural inputs with use in compost, livestock feed, and biogas production which improved overall health, wealth, food, and energy access in communities.
Professor Rohr’s and Dr Sack's work is proof that we need innovative, interconnected approaches to tackle traditional multi-connected issues. By encouraging new ways of thinking it inspires the fundamental shifts we need to fulfill the SDGs. On his approach, Professor Rohr shared “We hope that our innovation will serve as a prototype and inspiration for other planetary health innovations that address multiple SDGs.”
Each winner of the Frontiers Planet Prize will receive one million Swiss francs to accelerate their research through their nominating institution. Their research will be the force needed to push our understanding of our planetary boundaries, thus bringing us one step closer to achieving a global green renaissance so we can keep our planet healthy for future generations.
Commenting on the Frontiers Planet Prize, Johan Rockström, chairman of the Jury of 100 and pioneer of the Planetary Boundaries framework, stated:
“The remarkable contributions of the three international winners underscore the critical importance of interdisciplinary research in safeguarding our planet's future. Their innovative approaches exemplify the spirit of the Frontiers Planet Prize, fostering a deeper understanding of planetary boundaries and providing a roadmap for a more sustainable and resilient world."
About the Frontiers Research Foundation
The Frontiers Research Foundation is a not-for-profit organization based in Switzerland, which was founded by Kamila and Henry Markram, neuroscientists from the Swiss Federal Institute for Technology (EPFL). It raises funds to support programs that accelerate scientific solutions for healthy lives on a healthy planet.
About the Frontiers Planet Prize
The Frontiers Planet Prize is a global competition for scientists and research institutions to propose solutions to help the planet remain within the safe operating space of any one or more of the nine planetary boundaries. It was created by the Frontiers Research Foundation on Earth Day 2022 to mobilize the global scientific community, make it complete at the highest level of excellence, and contribute to the acceleration of concrete solutions to the challenges defined by the planetary boundaries. To date, it has drawn together hundreds of scientists, 20 national academies of science, 475 leading universities and research institutions to compete for three prizes of 1M Swiss francs each as adjudicated by a Jury of 100 leading sustainability scientists.
