!!Anna Traveset receives the Alejandro Malaspina National Research Award in Science and Technology for Natural Resources

__[Anna Traveset|Member/Traveset_Anna] MAE from the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (CSIC-UIB) is the recipient of the Alejandro Malaspina National Research Award in Science and Technology for Natural Resources "''for her fundamental contributions to the study of ecological interactions and biodiversity in island ecosystems''". Prof. Traveset was elected as member of the [Ecology and Evolution|Acad_Main/Sections/Ecology_and_Evolution] Section of Academia Europaea this year.
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The awards ceremony was held at the Pedralbes Royal Palace and attended by IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB) Director, Alejandro Orfila, the Balearic Minister for Education and Universities, Antoni Vera, and the rector of the University of the Balearic Islands, Jaume Carot. The event was presided over by the King of Spain, Phillip VI, and the Spanish Minister for Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant. __
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[{Image src='Anna Traveset receiving the Alejandro Malaspina Prize 2025_small.jpg' caption='Phillip VI, King of Spain, Prof. Anna Traveset and Diana Morant, the Spanish Minister for Science, Innovation and Universities' height='500' alt='' align='center'}]
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!About Anna Traveset

Professor Anna Traveset from the [Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies|https://imedea.uib-csic.es] (CSIC-UIB) is an ecologist interested in how mutualistic and antagonistic species interactions sustain biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Her work integrates field research, experiments, modelling and network theory to understand how global change—biological invasions, habitat loss and climate change—affects ecological communities. Using ecological networks, she aims to identify keystone species and interactions, uncover the mechanisms structuring communities, and assess the risk of ecosystem collapse. 
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In 2022 Anna Traveset was awarded one of the most prestigious advanced grants from the European Research Council to study biodiversity in different archipelagos around the globe, understand its complexity and assess its vulnerability and resilience to climate change, specifically invasive species—one of the key problems for island ecosystems.
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Anna Traveset also regularly give public talks, trains environmental managers and educators, and participates in conservation initiatives such as a recent LIFE project on pollinators. She strongly advocates for combining science and art to engage society in the protection of nature. 

!About the Prize

The Alejandro Malaspina National Research Award in Science and Technology of Natural Resources (Premio Nacional de Investigación Alejandro Malaspina) is one of Spain's most prestigious scientific honors. Awarded annually by the Ministry of Science and Innovation (or equivalent), it recognizes outstanding contributions to the advancement of natural resource sciences, including ecology, marine science, and environmental management.
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The award is named after Alejandro Malaspina, an Italian-born explorer who commanded the Spanish Scientific Expedition around the world between 1789 and 1794, conducting major studies in natural history, hydrography, and ethnography. The award was established in 2001 and is one of the ten categories of the Spanish National Research Awards. It is considered the highest recognition of scientific research in Spain in the field of Natural Resources.
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In 2024, [Prof. Miquel Canals|Member/Canals_Miquel] MAE, from the Faculty of Earth Sciences at the University of Barcelona and member of the [Earth and Cosmic Sciences|Acad_Main/Sections/Earth_cosmic_sciences] Section of Academia Europaea since 2025, also received the Alejandro Malaspina National Research Award “''for his prolific and multifaceted scientific career in the field of marine sciences, and national and international recognition for his pioneering contributions to the study of biogeochemistry and anthropogenic impacts on the marine environment''”.
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Published 12%%sup th/% May 2026.
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