In its fifth year, the Nat Award honoured Enric Sala, marine ecologist, explorer, promoter of marine reserves and environmental spokesman.
Two honourable mentions will be awarded this year: to Alícia Masriera, a geologist, mountaineer, professor and former director of Barcelona Geology Museum and, posthumously, to Jordi Sabater i Pi, in recognition of his great contribution to the fields of ethology, primatology and human evolution, as well as to ethnology and zoology.
The Nat Prize award ceremony was held at the Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona.
During the session, Enric Sala gave the lecture entitled, Why do we Need a Wilder World? Review it at the television channel, NatTV.
Winner of the Nat Award and the Nat 2022 Honourable Mentions
Nat Award 2022
Enric Sala i Gamito
Marine ecologist, National Geographic explorer in residence and founder and director of Pristine Seas, a project devoted to the exploration and protection of the last wild places in the global ocean.
For his intense activity in the conservation of oceans, which has helped protect over 6 million km2 of ocean territory, equivalent to 13 times the surface area of Spain, and for his work to educate and raise awareness among the general public and political and economic leaders about the vital need for a healthy ocean and to build new development models compatible with marine conservation.
2022 Honorary Mention
Jordi Sabater i Pi
Primatologist, ethologist and naturalist; emeritus professor at the University de Barcelona
For his highly acclaimed work in research into and the divulgation of primatology and nature in general. Introducer of ethology in our country, he excelled in the study of gorilla and chimpanzee behaviour. A task that, as a naturalist, was also decisive in the fields of human evolution, ethnology, herpetology, ornithology, botany, ecology, scientific drawing and teaching. He was one of the co-discoverers of the manufacture of tools among chimpanzees, and a defender of the existence of cultures in the animal world.
Alícia Masriera i Gonzalez
Geologist, mountaineer, professor and director of the Barcelona Geology Museum (1985 -2005)
Her determined vocation, enthusiasm and perseverance were of key importance for the growth and enrichment of the Geology Museum, promoting, with few resources, dozens of exhibitions, scientific and historical publications as well as the addition of important collections and the creation of a thin-film laboratory. Her scientific research work has always focused on the study of Mesozoic and Tertiary terrain in the Catalan and Aragonese Pyrenees, and is reflected in several scientific and informative publications.
The Nat Award Jury is made up of:
- Dacha Atienza, head of research and collections at the Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona
- Mara Dierssen, neurobiologist and scientific spokeswoman
- Martí Domínguez, biologist and director of the journal Mètode
- Xavier Duran, journalist at TV3
- Teresa Garnatje, director of the Botanical Institute of Barcelona
- Anna Omedes, director of the Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona up to April 2022
- Joandomènec Ros, professor of Ecology at the University of Barcelona