“Acceptance Speech” Frontiers of Knowledge Award 2023 in Ecology and Conservation Biology

Acceptance speech by Rodolfo Dirzo, winner of the 2023 Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Ecology and Conservation Biology, who was honored alongside Gerardo Ceballos for demonstrating that current extinction rates for numerous species are far higher than those recorded over the preceding two million years. Their research has helped document the sixth mass extinction and reveal the ecological consequences of defaunation, a process associated with the disappearance of animal populations.

Dirzo reflects on the evolution of biodiversity throughout Earth’s history and warns that human activities are reversing millions of years of biological diversification. He emphasizes that the extinction crisis affects not only species but also their populations, whose disappearance threatens ecosystem functioning and human well-being. He also highlights the ethical responsibility to conserve the planet’s biological wealth to safeguard the future of coming generations.