Sandra Díaz

Tyler Prize Laureate 2025

Transforming how the world understands biodiversity and our place within it

Born: December 27, 1961, Córdoba, Argentina
Affiliation at the time of the award: National University of Córdoba & CONICET, Argentina
Environmental achievement: Honored for redefining global biodiversity science through her pioneering work on functional diversity, plant traits, and the intertwined relationships between people and nature.

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Sandra Díaz

What if biodiversity could be understood not only by how many species exist, but by the roles they play, and by the deep, reciprocal connections between humans and the living world?

This is the transformative insight behind Sandra Díaz’s work, and the foundation of her global influence in ecology. Her groundbreaking research on functional diversity revealed that the characteristics of organisms, their traits, provide powerful clues to how ecosystems work and how they respond to environmental change.

Díaz went on to build the first global quantitative database of plant traits, known as the global spectrum of plant form and function, showing that despite extraordinary diversity, plants cluster into a few fundamental “lifestyles” that shape ecosystem behavior in predictable ways.

Her research does not stop at nature alone. Díaz is one of the architects of the concept of nature’s contributions to people (NCP), which expands far beyond the economic framing of “ecosystem services” to include cultural, relational, and spiritual values. Her message is clear: the worth of nature is not fixed: it depends on who is looking, and for what purpose.

Her vision is grounded in a powerful metaphor: biodiversity as the fabric of life. Humans are not outside this fabric, we are a single thread, inseparable from all others. Our histories, economies, cultures, and futures are woven into the same tapestry as plants, animals, and ecosystems.

“We are not separate from nature,” Díaz argues. “We are part of the living fabric, shaping it and being shaped by it. The illusion of separation is one of the greatest obstacles to building a sustainable future.”

Celebrating a Global Leader in Biodiversity Science

In April 2024, the Tyler Prize community came together to celebrate Sandra Díaz’s extraordinary contributions to ecology and her leadership in global environmental assessment. The events included a Laureate Conversation and award ceremony, where scientists, policymakers, and students gathered to honor her vision for a more inclusive and interconnected understanding of biodiversity.