Miguel Bastos Araújo
Protection of the Environment 2016Brussels, 1969. He holds a degree from the Universidade Nova de Lisboa and a PhD from the University of London and the Natural History Museum (UK). He is currently a Research Professor at the CSIC at the National Museum of Natural Sciences and has been Director of the iBIOCHANGE research group at the same museum since 2007.
He is one of the world’s leading experts in the study of the effects of climate change on biodiversity. His research has been fundamental to the establishment of current modelling standards that predict changes in biodiversity over time and space and, more broadly, to the assessment of the consequences of human activities on the natural world. His assessments have influenced public policy from the local to the global level. Professor Bastos has always been committed to communicating the results of his research beyond the scientific community. His achievements have been widely used to devise new approaches to conservation planning. He has had a wide-reaching impact on the media; his studies have been featured countless times in the national and international press, as well as in popular science magazines such as *National Geographic*, *Climate Change Reports* in *Nature*, and *New Scientist*. He is currently conducting research into three central questions that require a strong interdisciplinary approach: 1) How do past climate changes affect the distribution and diversity of life on Earth? 2) How might current and future environmental changes affect biodiversity? 3) How can biodiversity be conserved in the face of current and future challenges?
He pioneered the integration of global and regional climate predictions with land-cover maps and species distribution databases; an approach now widely adopted. He has helped to raise over 25 million euros for research. His academic contributions are best characterised by his publication record – more than 180 articles in journals and books – and the more than 31,000 citations his work has received, as well as by the students and researchers he has supervised and mentored throughout his career, during which he has supervised 20 doctoral theses.
He sits on numerous scientific committees. He has reviewed more than 150 articles and projects for over 50 journals and more than 10 funding agencies. Among the awards received by Professor Bastos, the Nobel Peace Prize—shared between US Vice-President Al Gore and the authors of the IPCC’s Fourth Assessment Report (2007)—stands out. He has also received other notable grants and honours, including recognition as a ‘Highly Cited’ researcher by Thomson Reuters, the Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award, and the Award for Scientific Merit from the CSIC.
The jury for the Rei Jaume I Prize for Environmental Protection, meeting in Valencia, has unanimously decided to award the 2016 prize to Miguel Bastos Araújo for his fundamental research into the establishment of current modelling standards that predict changes in biodiversity over time and space. He is one of the world’s leading experts in the study of the effects of climate change. He has demonstrated a strong ability to secure funding for research from both national and international sources. His skills in teaching and public engagement are also noteworthy, thereby fulfilling his commitment to bringing scientific knowledge to the public.
