National Geographic Society Recognizes Costa Rican Biologist For His Leadership in Protecting the Environment

The National Geographic Society / Buffett Prize was awarded this year to Bernal Rodríguez, professor and researcher at the School of Biology of the University of Costa Rica (UCR). This award was created by the Society and the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, with the purpose of recognizing and celebrating the unsung heroes of environmental protection, indicates a statement released on June 15th.

Recognizing many years of valuable work

“An organization so important, with so much impact worldwide, what it is saying is that the work of many years has been valuable, not only mine, but also of a team of people, both nationally and regionally,” said Rodríguez, who admitted feeling surprised by the award.

The recognition is awarded each year to a person from Latin America and another from the African continent, who have demonstrated leadership in the management and protection of the natural resources of their regions and countries. Also, for being advocates and inspirers of nature conservation and acting as role models and mentors.

Rodríguez is a graduate of the UCR in biology and obtained a doctorate in Biological Sciences from the Institute of Ecology of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. He is currently the director of the Center for Research on Biodiversity and Tropical Ecology of the UCR, a unit dedicated to the study of diversity and terrestrial ecology in Costa Rica, created in early 2020.