The 2007 prizewinner: Dr. Georgina M. Mace
(Imperial College, London, U.K.)
Many of us still remember the International Garden and Greenery Exposition (Expo ’90), which was held in 1990 in Osaka and successfully attracted visitors well over the initial anticipated number. While the site of Expo ’90 has been transformed and is currently used as a memorial park, there is a project that also inherits the principles of the expo and has been continued to this day: The International Cosmos Prize is an international award and was founded in 1993 based on the surplus from the expo to honor research activities and achievements that contribute to the expo’s basic principles: “The Harmonious Coexistence of Nature and Mankind.” Since it was first awarded to Sir Ghillean Prance (former Director, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, U.K.) in its inaugural year, researchers and research institutes from various countries around the world, including France, the United States, China, Japan, Canada, Ecuador, Mexico, and India, have been named and awarded the prize.
In 2007, Dr. Georgina M. Mace of Imperial College, London, U.K., was selected as the prize’s 15th recipient. Specialized in the conservation of global biodiversity, Dr. Mace has contributed on a global scale to the protection of the environment by formulating the scientific criteria for listing threatened species and playing a leading role in the development of the Red List of endangered species. Dr. Mace has been recognized for her comprehensive approach which considers various fields of study, from biology and genetics to policymaking.
