UCLA Environment

Thank you to everyone who presented, exhibited, and contributed maps and apps, and especially to all of our sponsors! It was an amazing time for the many 100's of folks who joined us throughout the day here in LA County, California! It was a truly fabulous day to share the many ways in which GIS supports and enhances our communities through the work our dedicated GIS teams and collaborators do every day. If you missed us, it's not too late to partake in our online maps and apps gallery: https://lnkd.in/gTpNUARa Stay tuned in early 2025 when we'll post speaker videos from the event and be sure to mark your calendar for our 18th Annual GIS Day to be held on Wednesday, November 19, 2025! #LACoGISday #GISday #GIS #geospatial #gisday2024 #datascience LAC I. County

Birds, as environmental humanities scholar and avian aficionado Ursula Heise can attest, have profoundly important stories to tell — if only we know how to listen. Learn more about the avian-inspired lessons Heise has gathered from literature and life. https://ucla.in/3AoqxlO #WeAreUCLAvian #birds | UCLA Department of English | UCLA Environment | ??: Courtesy of Ursula Heise

New UCLA study reveals that nearly half of Colombia’s culturally important plants lack conservation safeguards, leaving artisans and ancient traditions at risk. These plants are effectively invisible to the international conservation community, says Katherine Hernandez, IoES Ph.D. candidate and lead author of the study. “The loss of a plant, even if it’s not globally extinct, would feel like a loss of identity for some communities.” Read the article: https://ucla.in/3ALQTys

UCLA IoES Professor Travis Longcore explores 11 ways artificial lights affect animals for Smithsonian Magazine. From seals and beetles who rely on dark skies for navigation, to migrating monarch butterflies and birds: “Wherever you look you’re going to find influences,” Longcore said.

Congratulations to Nina Gualinga on winning the Pritzker Environmental Genius Award! Kudos as well to the inspiring finalists, Oladosu Adenike and Callie Veelenturf. Nina, a co-founder of Mujeres Amazónicas, champions indigenous rights in the Ecuadorian Amazon with courage and dedication. As Tony Pritzker said, “It’s incredible what you can accomplish at that moment in life when you don’t know you can’t change the world.” So inspired by these young women making a global impact—and it was especially heartwarming to see Nina share the moment with her son—such a beautiful reminder of the next generation these efforts support. I can’t wait to see what they achieve next! This UCLA Environment event is truly one of my favorites each year! #PritzkerGeniusAward #EnvironmentalGenius #InspiringWomen UCLA

The smile says it all—congratulations to Nina Gualinga for winning the 2024 Pritzker Environmental Genius Award! ?? ?? Gualinga received the award for advocating for Indigenous rights and environmental justice, leading to groundbreaking policy changes that protect crucial ecosystems in the Amazon and beyond. With the award’s $100,000 prize, she plans to build a new center for Indigenous women in Ecuador to strategize, heal, and create peaceful resistance ?????? “This award is not only mine,” Gualinga said. “I do what I do because I have been inspired and encouraged by other women in my life.” ?? Learn more about the award and her work: https://lnkd.in/g_4iE5k2 / UCLA College

?? TOMORROW at UCLA: Lunch & Learn with the 2024 #PritzkerGenius Award finalists ???? Hear from environmental leaders on creating lasting solutions for our planet. RSVP ??: https://ucla.in/4eTOfW9

Frighteningly beautiful fall vibes at UCLA ????? #GoBruins

It’s #BatWeek! ?? To celebrate, we caught up with Iroro Tanshi, 2023 UCLA Pritzker Award winner, about her incredible work conserving West Africa’s last pristine forests. From wildfire prevention to saving endangered bats, she’s doing whatever it takes to protect these vital ecosystems. Read the full Q&A: https://lnkd.in/gQSHK4-q

Meet Callie Veelenturf, a UCLA Pritzker Award finalist who is revolutionizing conservation for sea turtles—and entire ecosystems ?? In 2019, Veelenturf founded The Leatherback Project to protect leatherback sea turtles, a species that has survived for 110 million years but now faces local extinction. She trained over 2,400 Panamanian Army & Navy soldiers to combat the illegal turtle shell trade, sparking similar efforts worldwide. Through her leadership, Veelenturf helped pass Panama’s historic #RightsofNature law, granting nature its own legal rights. This milestone has protected sea turtles as legal entities, shut down a harmful copper mine, and created a National Wildlife Refuge. ?? ???? ?? “Now is not the time to be discouraged by the state of ecological crises,” Callie Veelenturf said. “Let’s create this system change together.” Learn more about Veelenturf’s inspiring work by reading her essay “FOR NATURE” — https://ucla.in/3BNJyyn