The Vice-President of the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity Jury and Chair of the Prize’s independent Scientific Committee, Miguel Bastos Araújo, has been announced as the 2024 winner of the British Ecological Society’s Marsh Award for Climate Change Research. This award celebrates his contributions to research on how climate change impacts biodiversity.

Araújo is a Research Professor at the National Museum of Natural Sciences, Madrid and Chair of Biogeography at the University of Évora. As a biogeographer, he studies the spatial and temporal distribution of life and has contributed to research on how environmental factors, like climate change, affect the Earth’s biological ecosystems. With over 250 articles published, Araújo has been pivotal in shaping ecology and conservation practice and has helped establish new standards for biodiversity mapping. His research has earned him numerous awards, including recognition as a Thomson-Reuters highly cited scientist.

The British Ecological Society is the oldest ecological society in the world. Its annual awards recognise distinguished ecologists whose work have significantly benefited the scientific community and society. Previous recipients include prominent figures in ecological science, underscoring the prestigious nature of this recognition.

The Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity was established in 2020 to celebrate outstanding contributions to climate action and inspire hope. Chaired by Angela Merkel, the Jury has selected winners of the annual 1 million euro Prize from across the globe, who are using the funding to make huge advances in tackling the impacts of climate change and support vulnerable communities.

Araújo has been instrumental in the success of the Prize and the impact of its funding. Since its inception, Araújo has leveraged his deep scientific expertise to guide the selection process, helping to ensure that the Prize honours people, groups and organisations whose work demonstrates innovation, effective solutions and potential for scale. His commitment to rigorous standards has helped elevate the Prize’s profile as an internationally recognised climate award.

“Miguel Bastos Araújo is a hugely deserving recipient of the Marsh Award for Climate Change Research and a valued member of our Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity Jury. His ecological and scientific background has enriched the Prize’s robust selection process and his leadership as Vice-President has helped us identify fantastic examples of climate and biodiversity action across the world. We are delighted that his work has been recognised by the British Ecological Society.”
— Louisa Hooper, Director of the Sustainability Programme, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation