Awarded the 13th BBVA Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Ecology, Sandra Díaz explains how the functional traits of plants allow us to understand ecosystem responses to global changes. She explains why studying functions rather than isolated species helps us understand ecological resilience and the services that nature provides to society. Her vision integrates ecology, sustainability, and human well-being.
The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Ecology and Conservation Biology category has gone in this thirteenth edition to ecologists Sandra Díaz (Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina, and Argentine National Research Council, CONICET), Sandra Lavorel (Laboratoire d’Ecologie Alpine [LECA], Grenoble, France, and Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand) and Mark Westoby (Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia), for “expanding the concept of biodiversity,” throug
Awarded the 13th BBVA Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Ecology, Sandra Díaz explains how the functional traits of plants allow us to understand ecosystem responses to global changes. She explains why studying functions rather than isolated species helps us understand ecological resilience and the services that nature provides to society. Her vision integrates ecology, sustainability, and human well-being.
The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Ecology and Conservation Biology category has gone in this thirteenth edition to ecologists Sandra Díaz (Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina, and Argentine National Research Council, CONICET), Sandra Lavorel (Laboratoire d’Ecologie Alpine [LECA], Grenoble, France, and Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand) and Mark Westoby (Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia), for “expanding the concept of biodiversity,” through “their pioneering work to discover, describe and coordinate the measurement of plant functional traits.”
00:00 Introduction
00:05 Could you explain how your research on plant traits has contributed to studying ecosystem functions and to understanding the value of preserving biodiversity?
01:34 Why did you decide to create the TRY database, and how has this tool contributed to the study of global plant biodiversity?
04:19 In what ways has your research contributed to studying and predicting the impacts of climate change on biodiversity and ecosystem functions?
06:35 What is your assessment of the current state of environmental degradation on the planet, and which measures should be prioritized to act before it is too late?
