In October 2026, tropical forest ecologist Zuzana Burivalova won the 2026 Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award, recognizing her innovative work using forest soundscapes to understand biodiversity and inform conservation. Burivalova, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and principal investigator of the Sound Forest Lab, was named the award’s 10th recipient by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Institute of the Environment and Sustainability.
As one of 20 distinguished entrepreneurs, science, business and environmental leaders selected to nominate a candidate, Mongabay Senior Editor Erik Hoffner put Burivalova’s name forward for the prize.
Burivalova has collaborated with Mongabay on several projects, including the Conservation Effectiveness series, a nine-part, data-driven investigation published in 2017 by reporters Mike Gaworecki and now Mongabay Newswire Editor Shreya Dasgupta. The series examined whether widely used conservation strategies were achieving their intended results, drawing on scientific evidence to assess what works, and what doesn’t, in protecting biodiversity.
As a science advisor for the project, Burivalova contributed her expertise to the investigation, which sought to strengthen the evidence base for conservation decisions. Her subsequent work continues to explore how scientific research can help improve conservation outcomes.
As part of her research, Burivalova and her colleagues deploy remote audio recorders in tropical forests to capture the sounds of wildlife, including birds, mammals, amphibians and insects. Unlike studies that focus on a single group of species, her approach analyzes entire soundscapes to establish baselines of biodiversity and monitor changes in forest ecosystems over time. These recordings can help researchers identify ecological degradation, assess conservation efforts and provide evidence to inform decisions about forest protection.
The work is particularly important because slowing deforestation does not necessarily mean tropical biodiversity loss is slowing, too. Forest degradation, climate change and overhunting continue to threaten wildlife, while some forest-based climate initiatives risk overlooking biodiversity when they prioritize carbon storage alone.
The Pritzker award includes $100,000 in prize money. Burivalova plans to use the funding to expand her Soundscape Baselines Project, building partnerships with local scientists and Indigenous and local communities in intact tropical forests, including in West Africa and Southeast Asia. She also hopes to develop a portfolio of conservation projects demonstrating how soundscape baselines can be applied to conservation in practice.
“Receiving this award feels really humbling, and also special, maybe particularly so during times that are challenging for work in environmental issues and conservation,” Burivalova told Mongabay by email. “I see getting an award like this to also mean taking the responsibility for doing as much as I can for biodiversity conservation in the years to come.”
Impact
Burivalova’s research has contributed to community-led forest protection. In Gabon, for example, her bioacoustic data and scientific expertise helped the Massaha community document the unique biodiversity of its ancestral forest, providing evidence required by the government. The evidence helped the community stop proposed logging and establish what Burivalova described as Gabon’s first community-conserved area.
“The community’s drive and persistence saved the forest, and my data and expertise enabled them to unlock a crucial step toward formal protection,” Burivalova said in her acceptance remarks. “This reflects exactly how I see my role: an enabler of conservation through giving biodiversity a voice.”
Burivalova’s recognition also reflects a longstanding connection with Mongabay. During her acceptance speech, she credited Mongabay’s reporting with helping save a West African forest where she conducted much of her research.
Together, these examples demonstrate how scientific research, community leadership and environmental journalism can contribute to protecting forests and the biodiversity they sustain. The award also gives Burivalova additional resources to expand her research and partnerships, helping make soundscape monitoring more widely available as a tool for conservation.
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Banner image: Founder and chair Tony Pritzker, left, presented Zuzana Burivalova the 10th annual Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award. Image courtesy of UCLA.