Leading researcher in biological diversity and ecosystem services to receive the Volvo Environment Prize

Leading researcher in biological diversity and ecosystem services to
receive the Volvo Environment Prize

Professor Harold Mooney of Stanford University in California has been
named recipient of the 2010 Volvo Environment Prize. He is one of the
world's leading researchers into biodiversity and ecosystem services, an
area currently attracting global attention.

The Volvo Environment Prize is an annual scientific award now presented
for the 21st time. This year's prizewinner has for many years been a
leading light within research into biological diversity and especially
how important it is for the functioning of ecosystem services. This
concept has been widely acknowledged in recent years, perhaps mainly due
to an international research program, Millennium Ecosystem Assessment,
where Professor Mooney has played a leading role.

 Ecosystem services are the functions of an ecosystem that in some ways
benefit mankind. The most obvious are food or materials that most people
recognize as delivered by ecosystems: wood, fish, fruit and vegetables
or other things that we can more or less extract directly. But other
functions are also of vital importance, such as pollinating insects or
the cleansing of air, soil or water. One example is when oil released
into the Gulf of Mexico earlier this year after the explosion of the BP
oil-drilling rig, was digested by oil-consuming microorganisms. That was
an example of the regulating function of an ecosystem. Another example
is adjustment of the atmosphere's chemical composition by the organisms
in the biosphere.

 “We take these functions for granted, says Harold Mooney, but they are
exposed to great threat today. Water is being polluted, soil is being
degraded and biologically rich seas and forests are being depleted. This
brings the risk that ecosystem services will increasingly fail to
provide for and protect us.”

He is, however, optimistic about the future since awareness of the issue
is increasing across the world. Harold Mooney has been active in the
foundation of IPBES, Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, which, like the UN climate panel,
IPCC, works to create scientific consensus and communication with
decision-makers.

 Several internationally prominent scientists serve on the Volvo
Environment Prize jury. Their citation says, in part:

“He has championed the idea that biodiversity is a key piece in
ecosystem functioning, contributing to the shift in perspective from a
species-centered approach to one based on ecosystems and the services
they provide to humanity”.

 Harold Mooney comments:

“I feel very honored at this news. The Volvo Environment Prize has
extremely high status in scientific circles and I look forward to coming
to Sweden later in the fall for the prize ceremony and to meet Swedish
research colleagues.”

 Professor Harold Mooney will be in Stockholm on 4 November to accept
his Volvo Environment Prize.

 August 31, 2010

 For more information about the Volvo Environment Prize and this year's
winner, contact Professor Carl Folke, Tel +46 708 45 01 02, Professor
Lisa Sennerby Forsse , Tel +46 70 312 40 44 or Annelie Karlsson,
coordinator at the Volvo Environment Prize Foundation, Tel +46 31 772 49
61.

 Harold A. Mooney is a professor of Environmental Biology at Stanford
University in California, USA, and senior fellow of the Institute for
International Studies, at Stanford. His scientific production
encompasses 35 books as well as articles in Science and Nature. He is
one of the most frequently quoted researchers in ecology and
environmental sciences.

 The Volvo Environment Prize is an annual award given to people for
outstanding scientific discoveries or inventions within the area of
environment and sustainable development. The prize is funded by Volvo
but awarded by an independent foundation. The prize consists of a
diploma, a glass sculpture and a cash sum of SEK 1.5 million (approx.
EURO 150,000 or USD 200,000). Since the first award, there have been 37
winners, among them many famous names, including three Nobel Prize
winners.

For more information about the Volvo Environment Prize: 
www.environment-prize.com (http://www.environment-prize.com/)