New edition of the science forum at the Faculty of Biology with the ecologist Sandra Díaz, awardee of Ramon Margalef Prize in Ecology 2017

The scientist Sandra Díaz, Ramon Margalef Prize in Ecology 2017.
The scientist Sandra Díaz, Ramon Margalef Prize in Ecology 2017.
Institutional
(19/10/2017)

“El barroquismo de la naturaleza a través de la lente de la diversidad funcional” is the title for the conference to be given by the scientist Sandra Díaz -Ramon Margalef Prize in Ecology 2017- on Monday October 23, at 10 a.m. in the Aula Magna of the Faculty of Biology. The conference will open a new edition of the science forum to be held at the Faculty on the occasion of the award ceremony, given by Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan Government) since 2004 in memory of Professor Ramon Margalef, emeritus professor of the University of Barcelona and one of the founding fathers of ecology worldwide.

The scientist Sandra Díaz, Ramon Margalef Prize in Ecology 2017.
The scientist Sandra Díaz, Ramon Margalef Prize in Ecology 2017.
Institutional
19/10/2017

“El barroquismo de la naturaleza a través de la lente de la diversidad funcional” is the title for the conference to be given by the scientist Sandra Díaz -Ramon Margalef Prize in Ecology 2017- on Monday October 23, at 10 a.m. in the Aula Magna of the Faculty of Biology. The conference will open a new edition of the science forum to be held at the Faculty on the occasion of the award ceremony, given by Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan Government) since 2004 in memory of Professor Ramon Margalef, emeritus professor of the University of Barcelona and one of the founding fathers of ecology worldwide.

 

In the ceremony, to be opened by the rector, Joan Elias, participants will be Gustavo A. Llorente, dean of the Faculty of Biology, and the lecturer Jofre Carnicer, from the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, make a profile of professor Díaz. During the forum there will be a roundtable of open debate chaired by the ecologist Narcís Prat, professor from the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences of the UB. Other participants are for instance the awarded researcher and the experts Josep Maria Espelta (CREAF, UAB); Dani Boix (IEA, UdG) and Clara Ruiz-González (ICM, CSIC). Within the framework of the meeting, professor Díaz will give a seminar aimed at master degree students and PhD students of the University of Barcelona.

Awarded for her contribution to the progress of fundamental ecology

Researcher Sandra Díaz (National University of Cordoba, Argentina) is regarded as one of the best world experts on the study of the impact of the global environmental change on regional biodiversity in plant ecosystems. This year, the jury in the International Ramon Margalef Prize in Ecology awards her contribution to the understanding of the role of biodiversity in ecosystems, and honors “her main and pioneer role in the theoretical development and practical implementation of the concept of functional diversity” as well as “the tools she developed to undertake the methodological implementation of the concept and its empiric application”.

Sandra Díaz is distinguished for leading international research initiatives in the fields of biodiversity, global environment change and ecosystems. From 1994 to 2007, she worked in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), sharing the Nobel Peace Prize 2007 with Al Gore, former vice-president of the United States. She is founder and president of Nucli DiverSus, an interdisciplinary network carrying out primary research and synthesis on biodiversity and sustainability, focusing on Latin America and global outreach.

Díaz also contributed to the development of TRY, the biggest common database for plant functional characters worldwide, and one of the leading authors of the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment project. Prominent member of the Science Committee in DIVERSITAS, she also develops leading functions in the Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

In previous editions, the International Ramon Margalef Prize in Ecology honoured the scientists Paul Dayton, John Lawton, Harold Mooney, Daniel Pauly, Paul Ehrlich, Simon Levin, Juan Carlos Castilla, Daniel Simberloff, Sallie Chisholm, David Tilman, Robert E. Ricklefs and Josep Peñuelas.