Award for environmental pioneer – has a message for academia
Source: https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/award-environmental-pioneer-has-message-academia Parent: https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/research-and-innovation/focus-areas/strategic-research-areas/climate-research
By mattis [dot] vindelman [at] cec [dot] lu [dot] se (Mattias Vindelman) - published 22 October 2025
Henrik Smith, professor of animal ecology at Lund University, has been awarded the internationally renowned Marsh Awards for Ecology by the British Ecological Society. Photo: Johan Persson.
Environmental pioneer Henrik Smith has won a major international ecology prize. He is also keen to emphasise the importance of research activity’s interaction with society – gone are the days when writing an extensive study and then leaving it to gather dust was enough.
Henrik Smith, professor of animal ecology at Lund University, has been awarded the internationally renowned Marsh Awards for Ecology by the British Ecological Society. The award recognises his long record of working to move ecological research forward and to strengthen the link between science and society. The British Ecological Society, founded in 1913, is one of the world’s most prestigious scientific societies in ecology.
Henrik Smith has been conducting ecology, biodiversity and climate change research for more than four decades. As well as setting up programmes and founding research environments, he has contributed to the development of ecological research through his publications. But he is also self-critical and believes that academia is failing in its efforts to make knowledge about the climate and biodiversity accessible to the public and decision-makers.
“Individual studies are no longer enough”
“Researchers need to increase their interaction with society. Publishing individual studies is not enough – we need to put that knowledge in context and communicate it so that it becomes relevant for decisions and policy development,” says Henrik Smith.
He also emphasises that the obstacles that arise are not necessarily down to the level of commitment of individual researchers.
“We carefully measure the quality and quantity of research, but researchers’ efforts within teaching and societal impact have, unfortunately, little impact on their careers and competition for research funding. We need to incentivise and encourage researchers’ engagement with the rest of society.”
Closer to policy and politics
In addition to his academic work, Henrik Smith has been a member of the Swedish Climate Policy Council (2022-2025) and is a member of the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency’s Biodiversity Council. Working closer to politics and policy has become an increasingly important part of Henrik Smith’s everyday life, reflecting his commitment and belief that science must be both credible and accessible.
“Researchers need to get better at packaging and communicating their knowledge so that it finds applications in society. This is not about researchers becoming political, but rather about contributing knowledge that can form the basis of democratic deliberations,” says Henrik Smith.
An auspicious prize
The Marsh Awards for Ecology’s jury highlighted Henrik Smith’s profound influence on research, policy and education, combined with his work to make science accessible to decision-makers at both national and international levels.
Previous winners include Ilkka Hanski, who developed theories in population ecology and received the Crafoord Prize in 2011, and Teja Tscharntke, one of the world’s leading and most cited agroecologists.
“Looking at the list of past winners, I feel humbled – many of them have inspired my research over the years. It feels like a reward for the efforts I have made over a long period to develop ecology and bring it to wider society,” says Henrik Smith.
“Society risks being driven more by social media than by real knowledge”
In the late 1990s, Henrik Smith built up a new type of environmental science education, in which the interdisciplinary approach became important. In this spirit, he also laid the foundations for what is now the Centre for Environmental and Climate Science (CEC) at Lund University. He set up the strategic research area BECC, focusing on biodiversity in a changing climate, and the profile area Nature-based future solutions.
So, what are a senior environmental scientist’s thoughts about the future? Henrik Smith is encouraged by the commitment young people have to environmental issues, but he also expresses growing concern about the future of science at a time when climate research is being undermined and resources are being cut.
“If, as scientists, we lock ourselves in our ivory towers, societal development will be driven more by social media than by real knowledge. We need to be out there, engaging in dialogue, in education and in the media,” warns Henrik Smith.
Phone: +46709782056, +46462229379
Email: henrik [dot] smith [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se (henrik[dot]smith[at]biol[dot]lu[dot]se)
Henrik Smiths profile in Lund University Research Portal
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