Dr. Jane Lubchenco Wins Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement

(NEW YORK – March 25, 2015) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) applauds the announcement of Dr. Jane Lubchenco as a 2015 Tyler Prize Laureate. For 42 years, the coveted Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement has recognized individuals who have dedicated their careers to informing policy with sound science and engaging local communities in the areas of environmental science, health and energy.

Dr. Lubchenco will share the award with Dr. Madhav Gadgil, PhD, of Goa University. Previous laureates of this prestigious award include Edward O. Wilson, Jane Goodall and Thomas Lovejoy.

“Dr. Lubchenco is a distinguished scholar, pragmatic policy-maker, and renowned leader in the nation’s foremost scientific institutions. Her career has demonstrated that she brings the type of leadership critical to halt and reverse overfishing, and to replenish the vast and vital ocean that supports thriving coastal communities—both in the United States and globally.

“As the first female administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 2009-2013, Dr. Lubchenco led a transformation of U.S. fisheries by embracing fishermen incentives as a way to turn conflict into cooperation and reverse fragile collapse into a resilient ecological recovery.

“This achievement follows Dr. Lubchenco’s recent appointment by President Obama as the Department of State’s first U.S. Science Envoy for the Ocean and builds on her career dedicated to addressing the threats to the ocean by bridging science and policy.

“Environmental Defense Fund is grateful to benefit from her counsel on our board of directors, and we are proud of her accolades and positioning to support others around the world in building the best scientific understanding and practical solutions that can result in more fish in the water, more food on the plate, and more prosperous communities.”

• Fred Krupp, president, EDF